Kevin Johnson
Defensive lineman Kevin Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles moves down the field during a game against Washington at RFK Stadium in Washington, D. C. (Otto Greule Jr. /Allsport)Getty Images
The story of former Philadelphia Eagles player Kevin Johnson’s death too a disturbing turn recently.
Johnson, 55, was found dead on Jan. 21 outside of a homeless encampment in Los Angeles. Police said he was suffering from head trauma when they found him, and paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. The medical examiner noted that Johnson had also been stabbed.
Now police believe his killing may be connected to three other killings involving homeless people in Los Angeles, per NBC. The outlet reported that the sheriff’s department said the three other individuals were found at homeless encampments near the same area in the Willowbrook community between October and January.
“All four victims were unhoused individuals who were living in encampments,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement per NBC. “Homicide investigators continue to pursue all investigative leads and remain committed to identifying the individual or individuals responsible for these crimes.”
The sheriff’s department said it responded to another homicide at nearly the same location, according to NBC, on Jan. 26 and that person was also declared dead at the scene.
Johnson was a 6-foot-1, 305-pound defensive tackle who played collegiately at Texas Southern. He was drafted in the fourth-round, 86th overall, by the New England Patriots in 1993. He went on to have stints with the Vikings and Raiders before landing with the Eagles for the 1995 and 1996 seasons.
His friend have expressed a concern that he may have been dealing with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, known as CTE, which is the brain disease suffered after multiple blows to the head.
“He was a loving man. He was a family man. He was a father, a friend, and all of the above,” Johnson’s son, Branden Johnson, told NBC. “He loved everyone around him and would give his shirt off his back just to make sure everybody else around him was OK.”