The death last month of former NFL player Kevin Johnson is presumably related to 3 different killings of unhoused folks in the identical space that occurred over the past 4 months, Los Angeles County detectives mentioned Tuesday.
The 55-year-old Johnson, an L.A.-native who performed with the Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders within the Nineties, was found dead on Jan. 21 at an encampment within the 1300 block of E. a hundred and twentieth Avenue within the unincorporated neighborhood of Willowbrook, close to Compton. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner mentioned that he died from “blunt head trauma and stab wounds.”
“Between October 2025 and January 2026, 4 homicides occurred on this space and stay underneath energetic investigation by the Murder Bureau,” the L.A. County Sheriff’s Division mentioned a news release. “Right now, investigators are working to find out whether or not these circumstances are associated.”
Detectives say that every one 4 of the victims had been unhoused individuals who had been residing in encampments in the identical neighborhood.
Every week after Johnson was killed, detectives had been once more referred to as to the identical space after a man was found dead close to the flood management channel.
Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Instances by way of Getty Photographs
There was no info instantly accessible on the 2 different deaths that occurred previous to January.
“Murder investigators proceed to pursue all investigative leads and stay dedicated to figuring out the person or people accountable for these crimes,” the discharge mentioned.
Anybody who has additional info was urged to contact LASD’s Murder Bureau at (323) 890-5500.
