Christopher Johnson

Christopher Dwayne Johnson, a 26-year-old Black man known to friends and family as “2 Brisk,” was a father, student, and aspiring musician whose life held immense promise. Described as funny, smart, and handsome, he was the devoted father of two children and was studying at Houston Community College. He poured his creative energy into his work as a rap artist with Bone House Records. His life was violently ended in the early hours of Sunday, September 6, 2015, when he was found shot to death on a residential street in southeast Houston, Texas.

The night he was killed, the quiet of the 5000 block of Kelso Street was shattered just before 2:00 a.m. by the sound of multiple gunshots. Alarmed residents called 911, and Houston Police Department officers were dispatched to the scene, arriving at approximately 2:05 a.m. There, they discovered Christopher lying unresponsive in the street at 5007 Kelso. Houston Fire Department paramedics who also responded to the call pronounced him dead at the scene from fatal gunshot wounds.

The initial investigation was led by HPD Homicide Division Sergeant C. Hogue and Senior Police Officer D. Arnold. They canvassed the neighborhood, speaking with the witnesses who had reported hearing the gunfire around 1:50 a.m. Despite their immediate efforts, investigators were unable to determine a motive for the shooting. The sequence of events that led to Christopher’s death remained a mystery, and no description of a suspect or suspects was immediately available. The case was opened in a year that saw a significant rise in homicides in the city; Houston recorded 303 homicides in 2015, a notable increase from the 241 in the previous year.

Just weeks before his death, Christopher had a separate and unrelated encounter with law enforcement. On July 25, 2015, he was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. During his booking at the Harris County jail, he alleged that deputies assaulted him for smiling for his mugshot. In a subsequent civil rights lawsuit filed in federal court in 2016, Johnson claimed that deputies choked him for about 30 seconds, causing him significant pain and mental anguish. The Harris County Sheriff's Office stated that proper procedure was followed during the booking. This incident, while part of his story, had no stated connection to his murder weeks later.

In the days after the homicide, the Houston Police Department officially identified Christopher and made a public plea for assistance from the community. They urged anyone who might have seen or heard something, no matter how minor it seemed, to come forward and share what they knew. Detectives were hopeful that a crucial tip could provide the lead needed to move the investigation forward and bring some measure of peace to Christopher’s grieving family.

Years have passed since Christopher Johnson was murdered, but his case has grown cold. There have been no arrests, and no persons of interest have ever been publicly identified. The critical questions of who was responsible for his death and why it happened remain unanswered, leaving his two children to grow up without their father and his loved ones without justice or a sense of closure. The memory of the funny, smart young man with a future in music is kept alive by those who knew and loved him.

The investigation into the murder of Christopher Dwayne Johnson is still officially open but is considered inactive pending new evidence. The Houston Police Department continues to encourage anyone with information to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600. Anonymous tips can also be provided to Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).