Luis Ares, a 22-year-old Hispanic/Latino man from West Allis, was killed on the morning of December 23, 2025, during a barrage of gunfire outside the College Court Apartments near South 20th Street and West College Avenue in Oak Creek. Police began receiving multiple 911 calls shortly after 8 a.m. reporting gunshots and what witnesses described as gunfire involving two vehicles.
When officers arrived, they found Ares inside a white GMC Acadia that had sustained multiple bullet strikes and broken windows. The vehicle had crashed into a tree, and despite lifesaving efforts by responding personnel, Ares was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation indicated that the shooting was not a random encounter. According to the criminal complaint, surveillance footage showed a black Infiniti following Ares from his residence to the Oak Creek apartment complex. Investigators said that as Ares entered the area, a passenger in the Infiniti was seen hanging out of a window with a rifle and firing toward his vehicle. Ares attempted to drive away as the shots continued before his GMC ultimately crashed. The Infiniti then left the scene. Investigators recovered an extensive amount of ballistic evidence, including 42 spent cartridge casings along a path through the area and a handgun found near a dumpster. An autopsy determined that Ares had been struck by four bullets, including a gunshot to the chest that was identified as the fatal wound.
Police initially had no one in custody, although they quickly described the killing as an isolated incident and said they did not believe there was an immediate danger to the surrounding community. Investigators spent the following weeks reviewing apartment surveillance recordings, license-plate-camera information and cellphone evidence. The Flock camera system was used to trace a black Infiniti matching the suspect vehicle, while phone records allegedly placed Milwaukee resident London Johnson with that vehicle before, during and after the homicide.
The investigation eventually led police to Johnson. Authorities arrested him at his residence on January 23, 2026, and investigators reportedly recovered the phone they believed he had been using on the day Ares was killed. During questioning, Johnson allegedly gave investigators inconsistent accounts. He reportedly claimed at one point that he had lost his phone, but changed his account regarding how long it had been missing. He also initially told investigators that he had not been in Oak Creek for more than a year before later acknowledging that he might have been there sometime after Christmas or around New Year's. He additionally denied having recently been in West Allis.
Investigators also examined recorded telephone calls associated with Johnson. According to the criminal complaint, Johnson allegedly discussed plans to purchase an AR-style rifle only days before the killing. Investigators further alleged that he changed his telephone number after the homicide. During a December 30 call from a new number, Johnson allegedly spoke about needing to keep a low profile because of increased attention and mentioned having obtained another vehicle. Prosecutors cited those conversations along with surveillance footage, cellphone-location evidence and information connecting Johnson to the Infiniti as part of the case against him.
The complaint also described a possible retaliatory motive. Police received an anonymous tip naming another individual, identified publicly in court reporting only by the initials “EC,” as someone allegedly responsible for Ares' killing. The tipster claimed Ares had been responsible for EC being shot the previous November. The complaint further stated that EC had a child with Ares' sister and that EC's brother was subsequently shot and killed on December 29. These claims were presented as allegations supplied to investigators rather than established facts, but police said the Oak Creek homicide appeared retaliatory and might be connected to the later Milwaukee killing.
On January 27, prosecutors formally charged London Johnson with first-degree intentional homicide as a party to a crime, with the use of a dangerous weapon alleged in connection with the offense. The party-to-a-crime charge reflected investigators' belief that Johnson was not acting alone. At Johnson's initial court appearance on January 30, a judge set cash bond at $150,000. He remained in custody and was scheduled to return to court in early February.
Even after Johnson's arrest, Oak Creek police emphasized that the homicide investigation remained active. Authorities said they believed at least one additional person participated in the attack and that investigators had identified another suspect believed to have been involved. Public reports did not disclose that person's name or indicate that the additional suspect had been formally charged at the time of the available coverage. The evidence described in the complaint suggested multiple occupants were in the Infiniti, including the person allegedly seen leaning from the vehicle with a rifle while shots were fired at Ares.
The publicly available reports located for the case do not document a completed trial or conviction for Johnson. The latest detailed reporting found describes him as charged and jailed while investigators continued pursuing the other person or persons believed to have participated. As a result, the criminal allegations against Johnson and any unidentified accomplice remain allegations unless and until proven in court.
