LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Former NFL defensive lineman Kevin Johnson was found dead Wednesday morning at a homeless encampment in the Willowbrook area of Los Angeles. He was 55.<\/p>\n
Johnson was found in the 1300 block of East 120th Street after deputies responded just before 8 a.m. to a report of an unconscious man, sheriff’s officials said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.<\/p>\n
Johnson’s cause of death was listed as “blunt head trauma” and “stab wounds,” and the manner of death was ruled a homicide, according to L.A. County Medical Examiner records.<\/p>\n
Investigators believe the former football player had been living at the encampment. They’re asking for help from any witnesses who might have seen what happened.<\/p>\n
Friends say Johnson had health issues later in life that led him to live on the streets, but they called him a wonderful friend who still made an impact on his community.<\/p>\n
“He was my best friend. I was best man at his wedding… Great guy, fun-loving. The community is going to miss him,” Bruce Todd told Eyewitness News.<\/p>\n
His friends said Johnson had health problems that they believe might have been the result of CTE.<\/p>\n
Johnson, a native of L.A., played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders from 1995-1997.<\/p>\n
After his career in the NFL ended, he played in the Arena Football League with the Orlando Predators and L.A. Avengers.<\/p>\n
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