Rex Johnson, a 33-year-old Black man, was shot in the early morning of March 31, 2025, in the 400 block of North Interstate Highway 35 in Austin. The attack happened about 1:51 a.m. while Johnson stood next to a blind friend who was using a cane. Two Black male suspects approached; one knocked Johnson to the ground and the other fired the fatal shots. Johnson was taken to a local hospital and died there on April 3, 2025, at 1:15 p.m.

Investigators say the suspects approached from an area known as The Island, described as an open-air drug market. Johnson had an unopened bag of K2, a synthetic cannabinoid, in his pocket at the time. Following a separate April 9, 2025, shooting, detectives linked that incident to Johnson’s killing after a surviving victim identified the shooters and said he owed money to one of them, known as K.O.

On May 12, 2025, APD homicide detectives arrested 33-year-old Kent Outten and charged him with murder; authorities say witness statements and video surveillance connected Outten to both shootings. The second man involved in Johnson’s murder has not been publicly identified. Does anyone have information about the second suspect or about activity around The Island that night?