Homicide investigation launched after ex-Eagles player, 55, found dead near Los Angeles homeless encampment
A homicide investigation is underway in Los Angeles after former Philadelphia Eagles player Kevin Johnson was found dead near a homeless encampment.
He was discovered in Willowbrook on Wednesday morning with blunt head trauma and stab wounds near the 1300 block of East 120th Street, near Central Avenue.
Johnson, 55, played in the NFL in the 1990s for the Eagles and Oakland Raiders, after being drafted by the New England Patriots in 1993.
Friends of Johnson who were paying tribute to him on social media alluded to him having struggles during the later years of his life.
One tribute, from a woman who said she was an old high school friend, claimed she had not seen him since 2019 but would often pray for his wellbeing.
'The enemy had a tight hold on you with addiction and I had to walk away,' the friend wrote. 'We hadn't talked since 2019 though you've tried to reach out but all I could do is pray from a distance.'
A homicide investigation is underway after ex-NFL player Kevin Johnson was found dead
Johnson played for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Oakland Raiders during his NFL career
Police were at scene where Johnson's body had been discovered on Wednesday morning
Johnson was born in Los Angeles and after a college career in LA and Texas as a defensive tackle, was drafted by the Patriots in the 1993 but was released in the same year.
A mile away from where Johnson was found, Homeland Security said they shot at 'violent criminal illegal alien from El Salvador, William Eduardo Moran Carballo' after he 'weaponzied his vehicle and rammed law enforcement'.
Carballo was not hit and was apprehended by authorities after trying to flee on foot, while one officer was injured. There is no suggestion at this point that there is a link with Johnson's death.
After being signed to the Minnesota Vikings practice squad and then by the Oakland Raiders, Johnson's career got going in 1995 when the Eagles took him off waivers.
In Philadelphia that season, he played 11 times and even made two appearances in playoff games.
He backed it up the following year with 12 appearances in 1996 but was released in December.
The Raiders took him on in 1997 and he played 15 times that season before being released the following March.
It would be his last season in the NFL and he went on to compete in the Arena Football League with hometown team Los Angeles Avengers.
