AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A 33-year-old man who was arrested in connection with a deadly shooting that happened near downtown Austin in March was involved in another shooting just days later, according to the Austin Police Department.
That man was identified as Kent Outten, and he was charged with murder, APD said in a news release.
Attorney information was not available for Outten, as of Friday. We will update this article if that changes.
The deadly shooting happened on March 31 around 1:50 a.m. in the 400 block of North Interstate 35 in the northbound service road, according to police. When officers arrived on the scene, they found 33-year-old Rex Johnson, who was "shot once in the torso," according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
Johnson was transported to Dell Seton Medical Center with life threatening injuries. He was later pronounced dead around 1:15 p.m. April 3, court records said.
That same day, police put out surveillance footage of two people allegedly suspected in the shooting, per a release from the agency at the time.
The investigation
APD's preliminary investigation revealed that Johnson was standing next to his friend, who was blind and using a cane, when two suspects walked up to them. One suspect allegedly assaulted Johnson and knocked him to the ground. Then, the second suspect allegedly shot him, according to police. Both suspects ran away east from the intersection “immediately after the shooting.”
As investigators continued to review surveillance footage, it showed the two suspect walking northbound on Brushy Street minutes before the shooting happened. The affidavit went on to say that the suspects walked up from the "Island," which is a "small island created by the intersection of Cesar Chavez St and Brushy St."
The "Island" is referred to as one of several "open air drug markets in the downtown area," court records said. The affidavit went on to say that the "Island" is a known location for having "synthetic marijuana commonly known as 'K2.'"
At the time Johnson was shot, police said he had a bag of "K2" in his pocket. He was also experiencing homelessness at the time of the incident after he had "recently moved from San Antonio." He moved to Austin "in search of better work and was on a waiting list for housing through the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless or ARCH," court records said.
Whenever Johnson was in the area of the "Island," police believe he "possibly did something to upset the two suspects." He left the area and then met up with a friend near Fourth Street and the northbound frontage road of I-35. That is when the two suspects walked over to where Johnson was, punched and shot him, according to the affidavit.
Second shooting
Following Johnson's death, another shooting happened on April 9 in the 1000 block of East Cesar Chavez, according to police.
Police said the victim of that shooting survived and spoke with investigators. The victim described two men to police who were "known drug dealers in the area." Police said their descriptions matched the same two suspects connected to Johnson's shooting, according to the affidavit.
The victim said they had "an outstanding drug related debt" to one of the suspects for "ice." When the suspect learned the victim did not have the money to pay off the debt, the suspect "pulled out a gun and shot the victim one time in the torso," court records said.
After police interviewed victims and reviewed surveillance footage, investigators were "confident that both suspects in both shootings were the same people," according to the affidavit.
Outten was eventually identified as a suspect in both shootings, according to police.
"We extend our gratitude to the members of the Austin community who spoke with detectives and helped identify the suspect, as well as to the Texas Lone Star Fugitive Task Force for their critical assistance in the arrest of Outten," police said in the new release.
