The tragic stabbing of former NFL player Kevin Johnson at a homeless encampment in Los Angeles may be linked to three other murders of homeless individuals in the same vicinity, authorities reported on Tuesday.
Johnson, aged 55, was discovered on January 21 in a makeshift shelter situated along a flood control channel in Willowbrook, located in South Los Angeles. The sheriff's department noted that he had suffered from what they described as "head trauma."
Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene, according to the sheriff's office.
On Tuesday evening, officials revealed that there had been three additional murders of homeless individuals occurring in close proximity along East 120th Street in the southwestern edge of the Willowbrook area, all within similar encampments along the same waterway.
These tragic incidents took place between October and January, and, unfortunately, all remain unsolved at this time. The sheriff's department highlighted, "All four victims were unhoused individuals residing in encampments." They emphasized their commitment to following all investigative leads and are determined to identify those responsible for these heinous acts.
To aid in the investigation, sheriff's detectives are collaborating with workers involved in homeless outreach, seeking any information that could shed light on these killings.
The county medical examiner has classified Johnson's cause of death as "blunt head trauma and stab wounds," revealing that investigators believe he was indeed homeless and living at the encampment. Last month, sheriff's officials stated this conclusion regarding Johnson's living situation.
Additionally, the sheriff's department reported another homicide almost at the same location, a riverbed near 120th Street, on January 26. Deputies responded to a report concerning an individual found deceased shortly after midnight, and once again, paramedics declared the victim dead at the scene, with further investigations underway.
Details such as the exact times and locations of the other two homicides have not yet been clarified.
In the 1990s, Johnson played as a defensive lineman primarily for the Philadelphia Eagles and the then-Oakland Raiders.
Efforts to contact his family members were unsuccessful as of Tuesday night.
Branden Johnson, Kevin's son, shared with NBC Los Angeles on Wednesday that his father had occasionally lived on the streets despite having options to stay with relatives or friends. He described his father as someone who always tried to maintain a facade of normalcy, stating, "He would make it seem like everything was OK."
Branden expressed his loss by saying, “He was a loving man. He was a family man. He was a father, a friend, and all of the above. He loved everyone around him and would give his shirt off his back just to ensure everybody else around him was OK.”
Friends had previously mentioned to KABC-TV that Kevin Johnson may have been battling chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disease associated with repeated head injuries.
Willowbrook is recognized for housing the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital and lies just south of the city of Los Angeles, adjacent to the Watts neighborhood. A county map indicates that the waterway crossing 120th Street near Elva Avenue is known as Compton Creek.
Branden expressed his devastation upon learning of his father's death and the potential connection to the other victims, stating, "It’s devastating just to know that there’s somebody out here doing this to these people," during his interview with NBC Los Angeles.
Dennis Romero serves as a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital, with contributions from Cristian Santana.
