Former NFL defensive lineman Kevin Johnson, 55, was among the victims found near the 1300 block of E. 120th Street.
WILLOWBROOK, Calif. — Los Angeles County homicide detectives are investigating whether four killings of people living in homeless encampments along Compton Creek are connected after former NFL player Kevin Johnson was found slain Jan. 21 near the 1300 block of E. 120th Street in unincorporated Los Angeles.
Authorities say the clustered killings from October to late January have similar locations and victims: unhoused adults living in tents and makeshift shelters by the creek. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has not identified a suspect or motive and cautions the review is ongoing. Investigators are comparing times, methods and medical examiner findings while canvassing encampments for witnesses. Johnson’s death added national attention to a case that already unsettled residents and outreach workers who frequent the area. Detectives described the work as labor-intensive and sensitive because many potential witnesses fear retaliation or lack stable contact information, complicating follow-up interviews.
Johnson was discovered shortly after 8 a.m. on Jan. 21 at a camp next to the waterway. Medical examiner records list his cause of death as “blunt head trauma” and “stab wounds,” and the manner of death as homicide. He was 55. Three other killings in the same corridor span roughly four months. On Oct. 5, 2025, Michelle Steele, 52, was shot and later died Nov. 12. On Dec. 4, 2025, Octavio Arias, 52, died of head and neck trauma. Five days after Johnson’s killing, on Jan. 26, a man identified as Mauro Alfaro, also in his 50s, was killed by blunt force trauma. Detectives said the four victims were all living outdoors in the corridor along Compton Creek, also known as a stretch of the Los Angeles River channel.
Officials emphasized they have not confirmed a single perpetrator. Sheriff’s investigators are analyzing ballistic evidence from the October shooting, comparing wound patterns from the December and January blunt-force cases, and reviewing video from nearby businesses and traffic poles. Eight detectives have been assigned to the cluster, according to people briefed on the case. While investigators are exploring whether drugs, gang activity or an individual targeting the unhoused population could be factors, they stressed there is “no concrete evidence” that definitively ties the four killings together at this stage. The department has asked anyone with knowledge of movements near E. 120th Street between October and late January to contact its homicide bureau.
Johnson, a Los Angeles native and Texas Southern alumnus, played defensive line for the Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders from 1995 to 1997 and later in the Arena Football League. Records show he had struggled with health issues after his playing days and had spent time living outside. Former teammates and coaches in recent years described him as competitive and upbeat. His death drew attention beyond South Los Angeles because of his NFL career, but local workers said the other three victims were also known in the encampment community, where people often share supplies and look out for one another. Outreach teams have been trying to relocate campers while detectives conduct the investigation, but many remain near the creek.
Investigators returned to the scene multiple times in late January to photograph tent placements, map footpaths and collect DNA. They’re coordinating with the medical examiner to refine the timeline of each attack and with county outreach providers to identify next of kin. Detectives are also comparing calls for service and prior reports from the same block back to early 2025 to flag any earlier, possibly related assaults. No arrests have been announced. The Sheriff’s Department said tips can be provided to its homicide bureau or Crime Stoppers. As of Wednesday, officials had not scheduled a formal briefing; internal updates are being shared with county leaders and service providers working in the area.
On recent visits, the creek banks were muddy from winter storms. Tents, shopping carts and folding chairs dotted the channel edge against a concrete embankment. A woman who said she knew Steele described her as “kind and funny” and said people still place flowers where she was shot. A man who camps nearby said he awoke to sirens the morning Johnson was found. “We heard shouting and saw deputies running,” he said, declining to give his name because he fears retaliation. An outreach worker said many residents are talking about moving, but others have nowhere to go.
The Sheriff’s Department said all four killings remain under active review and that investigators will continue evidence collection and interviews through the week. Detectives plan to re-canvas the E. 120th Street corridor and check new lab results. No suspect has been publicly identified. The next update is expected after preliminary lab comparisons are complete.
Author note: Last updated February 4, 2026.