Arlington PD Makes Arrest in 2020 Murder Case - Report #2020-01190070
Published on May 19, 2025
By Arlington Police Department
The Arlington Police Department has made an arrest in connection to the April 2020 murder of Eugene Johnson who was shot and killed during a robbery attempt at an apartment complex in the 800 block of N. Oak Street.
Following a thorough investigation, APD Homicide Detectives obtained a warrant for the arrest of 29-year-old Mekel Gaston on one count of Capital Murder. On Friday, May 16, 2025, members of the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force located Mr. Gaston in Arlington and took him into custody without incident. He is currently being held at the Tarrant County Jail.
On April 28, 2020, at approximately 4:56 a.m., officers responded to the apartment complex after a resident reported seeing a man lying unresponsive in the parking lot. When officers arrived, they discovered the man, who was later identified as Mr. Johnson, had been shot. Mr. Johnson was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Through the course of their investigation, detectives learned Mr. Johnson came to the apartment complex thinking he was going to be meeting a female he communicated with via text. Instead, an armed man approached him, pointed a gun at him, and demanded money. Investigators believe a physical struggle ensued and the suspect ultimately shot Mr. Johnson.
Detectives also learned that multiple armed robberies with very similar modus operandi had been reported at this same apartment complex, leading them to believe they could be connected.
In 2025, detectives located a key witness who had not previously spoken to detectives. The witness provided them with critical information linking Mr. Gaston to the previous armed robberies and to the shooting. Additionally, detectives compared video footage from the shooting to images of a separate incident that was known to involve Mr. Gaston and noted the physical similarities between him and the shooting suspect.
Based on their investigation, detectives believe Mr. Gaston posed as a woman online to lure Mr. Johnson to the scene with the intent to rob him.
After consulting with the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, detectives moved forward with filing charges.
“Thanks to the outstanding efforts of our detectives, a dangerous and violent criminal is off our streets,” said Chief of Police Al Jones. “This was a situation where good police work was done during the initial investigation, but detectives needed that last bit of additional evidence to file charges. I’m extremely proud of them for continuing to pursue leads until they got the information they needed.”
Mr. Gaston was also arrested on an outstanding, unrelated warrant for Assault Causing Bodily Injury.