A 29-year-old man who had been wanted in connection with a 2019 shooting outside a Worcester barbershop was arrested in Houston and brought back to Massachusetts last Wednesday, authorities said. The arrest capped a multiyear search for a suspect who, investigators say, had been living out of state while outstanding warrants hung over his head.
According to Worcester police, U.S. Marshals tracked Kenneth Diaz to a Houston apartment, where he was found with a female acquaintance and taken into custody without incident. Officers reported recovering several firearms and body armor at the scene, and federal and local law enforcement coordinated on the operation, per the Worcester Telegram. Diaz was then flown back to Massachusetts under escort.
Case background
Detectives had previously identified Diaz as one of three people involved in a June 21, 2019, shooting outside the Wonder Cuts barber shop on Lincoln Street, an attack in which a barber was shot three times, according to contemporaneous reporting. Diaz and his brother Jose were located and arrested the following month in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, after a fugitive task force tracked them down, as reported by WHDH. Court paperwork from that period listed firearms and assault-related charges.
How he was brought back
Worcester County Sheriff's deputies traveled to Texas to take custody of Diaz and escort him back to the state. He arrived in Massachusetts last Wednesday to face the outstanding warrants. Authorities say he is the subject of three active arrest warrants tied to the 2019 case and is being held in Worcester pending court action.
Police said the U.S. Marshals and local partners intensified their search after a 2022 shooting allegedly connected to Diaz prompted investigators to widen their inquiries, according to the Worcester Telegram.
Next steps
The Worcester District Attorney's office will decide whether to file new charges or move ahead solely on the outstanding warrants. Court dates have not yet been posted.
Police asked anyone with information about the 2019 shooting or related incidents to contact the Worcester Police Detective Bureau and noted that the investigation remains active.
