In the early hours of Sunday, June 21, 2026, Kokomo police responded to reports of a fight at the Greatt Escape bar on North Washington Street. Officers arriving about 1:30 a.m. found 31-year-old Kokomo resident Braylen T. Johnson in the parking lot with suspected gunshot wounds. He was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead at 2:07 a.m.; the Howard County Coroner later ruled his death a homicide.

Investigators described a chaotic scene in the parking lot and began an immediate homicide investigation. The Kokomo Police Department, with assistance from the Indiana State Police and the Howard County Sheriff’s Office, executed multiple search warrants in the days after the shooting and seized firearms and illegal drugs; authorities did not say how those items are connected to Johnson’s death. No suspects or arrests have been publicly identified and the motive remains unclear.

Anyone who was at the Greatt Escape that night or who has information about the shooting is asked to contact the Kokomo Police Department or Crime Stoppers.