Two Killed, Suspect Dead in Minneapolis Apartment Shooting

Two people were killed and the suspected gunman is dead following a shooting Wednesday afternoon at an apartment building in downtown Minneapolis, according to AP News. Six others were injured, including three Minneapolis police officers who responded to the scene.

The shooting unfolded at Shoreline Plaza, a high-rise apartment complex at 15 East Grant Street in the Loring Park neighborhood, near the Minneapolis Convention Center. Police received a 911 call just after 4:30 p.m. and were inside the building within two minutes, where they discovered victims in the lobby and heard additional gunfire coming from upper floors.

Police Response and Officer Injuries

Officers followed the sound of gunfire to an upper floor, where they “encountered a haze that significantly limited their visibility,” according to Interim Police Chief Bill Peterson. The nature of the haze has not been disclosed.

Three officers were injured during the response. One officer was shot in the leg, another was shot twice in the abdomen and required surgery, and a third was evaluated for a non-life-threatening injury. All three are expected to make full recoveries, Peterson said at a news conference. Four additional officers experienced adverse effects after exposure to an unknown airborne substance, and two others were injured when their squad car crashed while responding to the scene, the City of Minneapolis reported.

“I’m truly sickened by this level of violence,” Peterson said. “That feeling is tempered only by the courageous actions of the Minneapolis police officers, who responded without hesitation, confronted an extraordinarily dangerous situation and worked to end the violence and restore safety.”

Mayor Jacob Frey praised the officers’ actions during a press conference at City Hall. “They rescued victims, brought people to safety, helped get approximately four people to the hospital, all while getting shot at themselves,” he said. “We’re all standing with the victims and families impacted by this senseless act.”

The Suspect

The suspected gunman has been identified as Carlton Neal Johnson II, 35, of Minneapolis, according to multiple law enforcement sources cited by CBS News Minnesota. Sources told WCCO that Johnson died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, though police initially said it was not immediately clear how the shooter died.

Johnson had been facing eviction from his ninth-floor apartment at Shoreline Plaza at the time of the shooting. Court records detailed by MPR News show that property managers filed suit in June seeking to evict him following a series of escalating incidents.

According to an eviction notice sent June 16, Johnson had breached his lease on six occasions between January and June 13. The alleged violations included assaulting a resident on March 23, openly displaying a firearm to building staff on June 11, and making statements to residents that he would “kill someone.” The notice also alleged that Johnson flashed his gun to people on the sidewalk outside the building on June 13.

In the days following the eviction notice, Johnson allegedly continued to escalate. On June 19, he made “concerning verbal statements” about using a firearm to a security officer and lifted his shirt to display his gun. On June 25, he allegedly threatened a resident with his firearm and attempted to bribe staff to reveal who had called police, according to CBS News Minnesota.

Johnson had a long criminal record, including a 2012 guilty plea for violating a contact order in a domestic abuse case and a 2018 domestic assault charge that was dropped after he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor property damage, as reported by the Minnesota Star Tribune. He also had two assault charges and two misdemeanor drug cases on his record.

Escalating Threats

Residents of the building described a pattern of increasingly volatile behavior from Johnson in the days before the shooting. Chris Miller, a neighbor, told the New York Post that Johnson told him on Sunday or Monday that he planned to shoot his ex-girlfriend and two property managers.

“He said, ‘I’m going to shoot people,’” Miller recalled. “He was very, very angry, drunk and mad.”

Derrick Thompson, a former neighbor who had recently moved out of the building, said Johnson had been spiraling. “He was fighting people every day, every damn day,” Thompson said. “He lost everything.” Johnson was reportedly involved in a child custody dispute and his car had recently been repossessed.

Witness Accounts

Residents described harrowing moments as the shooting unfolded. Umecua Agnew was in the building’s elevator when she heard gunshots as she was about to exit on the first floor.

“I could hear it like it was just coming up the stairs,” she told The Guardian. “It was getting to where I was at and I’m praying to the Lord, please don’t let me get shot.”

Julius Bailey, another resident, said he saw a man he recognized from the building holding a pistol and counted eight shots. “I could tell he was trouble,” Bailey said, noting he had tried to avoid the man since moving into the building in June.

Building’s Troubled History

Shoreline Plaza, a low-income apartment complex purchased for $30 million in 2021 by a real estate partnership controlled by Related Companies of New York, has a history of violent incidents. In September 2025, Robert Warren, 51, was charged with ambushing and fatally shooting two men in the building’s second-floor elevator bay, according to FOX9. Warren had prior felony convictions for domestic assault and third-degree assault.

Investigation and Aftermath

Investigators from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension continued scouring the scene Thursday with a mobile crime scene unit, as AP News reported. The area was declared secure at approximately 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

One civilian victim died at the scene, and a second died after arriving at Hennepin County Medical Center. Three other civilians were shot and treated at the hospital, which received seven patients total. The identities of the two civilian victims have not yet been publicly released.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said in a social media post that state officials were assisting local law enforcement. “Grateful to law enforcement actively working to ensure the safety of our neighbors in Downtown Minneapolis this afternoon,” Walz wrote. “Minnesota is praying for our first responders.”

FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau was responding and would “offer any and all resources necessary to assist local authorities.” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said his office would “help in all the ways possible.”

Authorities have not confirmed an official motive for the shooting. However, sources told KARE11 that the shooting began as a domestic incident between the shooter and one of the victims, and reports indicate Johnson had been evicted from his apartment earlier on the day of the shooting. He was scheduled to appear in Hennepin County Court on September 11 for the eviction case.

What’s Next

As investigators piece together the events leading up to Wednesday’s violence, questions are emerging about whether warning signs were adequately addressed. Johnson’s history of threats and gun displays at the building raised concerns among residents, and his eviction case was still pending at the time of the shooting.

The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that Johnson’s attorney argued he was issued a license to carry before displaying a weapon and denied assaulting residents. The court proceedings were still active when the shooting occurred.

Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident, including the nature of the haze that officers encountered and the exact sequence of events that led to the deaths. The two civilian victims have not yet been publicly identified, and officials have not released details about the suspected shooter’s cause of death beyond initial reports.