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A multi-year manhunt for a suspect involved in a violent 2019 shooting has finally come to an end. Kenneth Diaz, 29, who had been eluding authorities for several years, was returned to Massachusetts last Wednesday to face justice for a string of violent incidents that have hung over the city’s North Side for over half a decade.
The arrest, coordinated across state lines, marks a major win for the Worcester Police Department and federal investigators who refused to let the case gather dust.
1. Case Background: The Wonder Cuts Shooting
The warrants against Diaz stem from a violent encounter on June 21, 2019. Worcester Police responded to Wonder Cuts at 260 Lincoln Street following reports of gunfire.
- The Incident: A barber at the shop was shot three times during the attack. While the victim survived, the shooting sent shockwaves through the Lincoln Street business corridor.
- The First Arrest: Diaz and his brother, Jose, were originally tracked down and arrested in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, just weeks after the shooting in July 2019. However, Diaz later fled the state in 2022 while out on bail, sparking a fresh years-long search.
2. The Fugitive Search: From Worcester to Houston
According to an official December 2025 statement from the Worcester Police Department, investigators intensified their search after a 2022 shooting incident was allegedly linked back to Diaz.
The search eventually led U.S. Marshals to an apartment in Houston, Texas…