Los Angeles County detectives say the Jan. 21 death of former NFL player Kevin Johnson may be connected to three other killings of unhoused people in the same area over the past four months. Johnson, 55, an L.A. native who played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders in the 1990s, was found dead at an encampment in the 1300 block of E. 120th Street in the unincorporated Willowbrook community near Compton. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death as blunt head trauma and stab wounds.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, four homicides occurred in that vicinity between October 2025 and January 2026 and remain under active investigation by the Homicide Bureau. Detectives said all four victims were unhoused people living in encampments nearby and investigators are working to determine whether the cases are linked.
A week after Johnson’s death, deputies responded to the same area when a man was found dead near a flood control channel. Authorities have provided no immediate details about the two other deaths that took place before January.
The Homicide Bureau said investigators continue to pursue all leads and are committed to identifying anyone responsible. Anyone with information is asked to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.