Investigators identified and arrested Isaiah Brazil days after Samarius Johnson was fatally shot outside an apartment, according to police and an arrest affidavit.
DALLAS, Texas — A Dallas homicide investigation that began with an unidentified gunman fleeing an Oak Cliff apartment complex led detectives to a 23-year-old suspect through phone information, identifying details and an anonymous tip, according to police and an arrest affidavit.
Isaiah Brazil was arrested Nov. 3 and charged with murder in the Oct. 30 death of 28-year-old Samarius Johnson. Dallas police said Johnson was shot multiple times in the 3700 block of South Tyler Street and was pronounced dead at the scene. Later reporting based on the arrest affidavit described the confrontation and how detectives said they identified Brazil.
Police were called to the area at about 9:10 p.m. after a report of a shooting. The department’s initial account said Johnson had been shot by an unknown suspect who left before officers arrived. At that stage, police had not publicly identified a suspected shooter or explained what led to the gunfire.
The arrest affidavit later alleged that the shooting followed an argument involving Brazil and his girlfriend. According to the affidavit, Johnson learned that a confrontation was occurring inside an apartment and went upstairs in an attempt to intervene. The woman initially told Johnson not to become involved and closed the door, the affidavit states.
A short time later, according to the affidavit, Johnson approached the apartment again when the door opened. Investigators allege Brazil came outside carrying a handgun and shot Johnson multiple times. Johnson made it away from the immediate confrontation before he was found by responding authorities.
The affidavit also provides details about the effort to identify the suspect. Witnesses initially knew the man by a nickname, according to local reporting on the document. Investigators used a phone number supplied by the woman to examine an account associated with that number and found information they believed pointed to the suspect’s identity.
An anonymous caller then provided investigators with additional identifying information, including names of the suspect’s relatives, according to the affidavit. Detectives used those details in law enforcement records and ultimately identified Brazil. Dallas police later confirmed his arrest and said he had been placed in the Dallas County Jail.
The case illustrates how the investigation changed in the days after Johnson’s death. Police publicly described the shooter as unknown immediately after the killing, then announced on Nov. 6 that Brazil had been arrested three days earlier and charged with murder. The department said the facts and circumstances surrounding the homicide remained under investigation.
Johnson’s family has said he did not know the woman involved in the alleged dispute and had stepped in because he believed she needed help. He was the father of three daughters. Relatives have described his intervention as characteristic of his willingness to help others, while also expressing hope that his death draws attention to domestic violence.
Brazil was reported held on a $350,000 bond. The murder charge and the allegations described in the arrest affidavit have not been proven in court, and the filing of a criminal charge does not establish guilt. Dallas police continue to list the homicide under case No. 160262-2026.
Author note: Last updated Nov. 10, 2026.