Austin police have arrested a sixth suspect in the January shooting that killed 19-year-old Victor Ekozeme near a Manor-area apartment complex, marking a new turn in a homicide case that has weighed on northeast Austin for months.
The newly charged suspect, identified in court documents as Samuel Johnson III, was booked into the Travis County jail on a first-degree murder charge. Booking records list his bond at $100,000. The Jan. 24 gunfire near the Wildhorse Ranch apartments left Ekozeme dead at the scene and another person wounded.
Arrest and charges
According to an arrest-warrant affidavit reviewed by KXAN, Johnson was 18 at the time of the shooting and is charged with first-degree murder. Online booking records show he was taken to the Travis County Jail, and the station reports that his bond was set at $100,000. KXAN also notes that police have contacted Johnson’s attorney for comment.
How police say the shooting unfolded
The Austin Police Department says officers were called out around 2:38 p.m. on Jan. 24 after reports of shots being fired and a vehicle crashing into a fence and a ditch on Wildhorse Ranch Trail. When officers arrived, they found two people with gunshot wounds.
Police say Ekozeme, 19, was pronounced dead at the scene, while the second victim was taken to a hospital and later released. Detectives told the city that the victims appeared to have been targeted and that the suspects took off in a separate vehicle, according to the Austin Police Department.
Other arrests and the investigation
Johnson is not the first person hauled into custody in connection with the case. As the probe unfolded, authorities previously arrested multiple people, and local coverage tracked each new development.
Earlier reporting on a juvenile murder arrest and an evidence-tampering charge tied to the same shooting documented how the investigation was widening. Detectives say they are still gathering evidence and have asked anyone with information to contact their tip line.
What the affidavit says
The arrest-warrant affidavit reviewed by KXAN alleges that Samuel Johnson exchanged text messages with another man, Robert Johnson, about a plan to take a gun from Nyanway and Ekozeme. Investigators cite those messages as part of the probable cause supporting the murder charge.
KXAN also reports that Robert Johnson was previously identified as the driver of the vehicle that left the scene after the shooting.
What’s next
Johnson is expected to appear in Travis County court on the complaint, and his case will move through the local felony process. Online booking records and the public inmate search show he remains in custody; the Travis County inmate lookup can be used to confirm his current status, according to Travis County's inmate search.
The Austin Police Department says the investigation is ongoing and is asking anyone with information to call 512-974-TIPS.
For Manor and northeast Austin, each new arrest is one more step in a case that has lingered since January. Neighbors and local leaders say the killing of a 19-year-old and the daytime gunfire have left the community shaken as investigators continue to pursue clarity and accountability in court.
