Downtown Minneapolis mass shooting: What we know so far

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A mass shooting at an apartment building in downtown Minneapolis Wednesday afternoon left two civilians and the suspected gunman dead, in addition to injuring three police officers and three civilians.

Minneapolis shooting: 6 injured, 3 dead

Timeline:

Police said the first shots were reported around 4:30 p.m. at Loring Towers, a high-rise apartment at 15 East Grant Street near the convention center. 

During a Thursday news conference, BCA Superintendent Drew Evans laid out a timeline of the shooting. 

• Incident begins: The suspect shoots a woman – with whom he had a prior relationship – outside the building during a custody exchange of a child believed to belong to the suspect.
• Inside building: The suspect enters the building and shoots a person who works at the facility at close range, then shoots a second worker at the facility. Evans noted investigators currently have "no indication that he was targeting them specifically."
• Moves upstairs: The suspect takes an elevator up to the ninth floor, where he has an apartment.
• On the ninth floor: The suspect shoots and kills two people on the ninth floor who died from their injuries and are believed to be residents. Evans stated officials have "no information to believe" they were specifically targeted versus encountered.
• Police Response: Law enforcement arrived "very quickly after the call was aired out." Officers heard gunfire and followed the sound up to the ninth floor using the stairway.
• Police confrontation: Responding officers encountered the suspect on the ninth floor where there were two exchanges of gunfire.
• Suspect killed: The suspect died on the ninth floor in the exchange of gunfire with police. A preliminary autopsy states he died of multiple gunshot wounds.

Authorities have identified the residents who were killed as Dale Henry Spry, 63, and Muse A. Afrah, 61.

How many police officers were injured? 

Dig deeper:

At least three officers were injured during the initial shooting response. One officer was shot in the stomach, another once in the leg. A third officer was evaluated for a non-life-threatening injury. 

During the news conference on Thursday, the BCA confirmed the injured officers' identities as: Joseph Michnowski and Yayhe Ahmed.

Mayor Jacob Frey said Officer Ahmed was being released from the hospital on Thursday afternoon. Officer Michnowski remains in the hospital undergoing treatment.

The third officer that was injured was treated and released on Wednesday. He suffered cuts from glass after breaking out a squad window.

There were also four officers who "experienced adverse effects after being exposed to an unknown airborne substance," authorities say. 

Additionally, two officers were hurt when their squad car crashed while responding to the shooting. The extent of those injuries was not immediately known. 

Authorities say three other civilians who were shot are also being treated at Hennepin Healthcare. 

Who was the suspected gunman? 

What we know:

The suspected shooter has been identified as 35-year-old Carlton Neal Johnson II.

Johnson, who lived on the ninth floor, was facing eviction from the Loring Towers after he made concerning verbal statements about using a firearm to a security officer last June. The man denied the allegations cited in the eviction proceedings, and a court hearing was scheduled for Sept. 11.

What they're saying:

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty released the following statement and details regarding the incident involving Johnson in June 2026.

"On June 25, Minneapolis Police responded to a call about Carlton Johnson displaying a firearm to another individual. MPD conducted further investigation and determined Mr. Johnson, who had a legal permit to carry, displayed the weapon but it did not leave his waistband.

MPD submitted a case to HCAO on Aug. 20, which was quickly reviewed by an experienced attorney in accordance with established protocol. It was determined that the case likely could not be charged due to insufficient evidence to prove a charge beyond a reasonable doubt.

The HCAO also flagged the conduct for Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) screening. Additional review found insufficient evidence to proceed with petitioning for an ERPO on the June 25 incident."

The backstory:

The suspect was previously accused of assaulting a sibling in 2018. He allegedly hinted at the time that he had a gun and was "not afraid to shoot people in the face."

The man pleaded guilty to destruction of property and denied assaulting anyone. He served four days in jail and was sentenced to probation. During sentencing, a judge said it was clear the man probably had "anger issues."

What we don't know:

Police did not mention a motive for Wednesday's shooting.

What have officials said?

What they're saying:

Frey hailed the quick response by officers in a press conference Thursday:

"Every day, Minneapolis police officers respond to calls, not knowing exactly what they were going to encounter," said Frey. "The level of heroism that took place yesterday is practically unrivaled. The heroic nature that our cops exhibited deserves not just our greatest thanks but also a deep understanding that these are the kind of dangers that they face day-in and day-out. Their actions help protect their neighbors. Their actions undoubtedly saved lives."

"I want to point out how quickly they got there," added Frey. "So it was 44 seconds after a phone call that dispatch already had a squad car en route. It was a minute and 42 seconds from the time that the police officers were dispatched that they then went into the building. So one minute and 42 seconds from the moment when they were alerted that there was potentially an active shooting taking place, they were walking through the door. It was two minutes and 26 seconds from the time that that first call came in that they were entering a building with great danger."

What about road closures?

Local perspective:

For hours after the initial shots were fired, police closed several square blocks around the scene and asked anyone who lived in the area to stay away. 

As of Thursday morning, there are still street closures around the apartment building, but many residents who live inside the area have been allowed to return home.

Who responded to the scene?

Big picture view:

Law enforcement agencies from multiple cities responded to the scene, including the Minnesota State Patrol, Hennepin County’s Sheriff’s Office, The Minneapolis Park Police, St Paul Police Department, University of Minnesota Police Department, Maple Grove Police Department, Plymouth Police Department, Edina Police Department, and the Brooklyn Park Police Department. They assisted with 911 response and other activity around the city as needed. The FBI also assisted at the scene.

"This is a tremendously tragic event," said Chief Peterson. "The lives of residents, our community, our officers and other first responders have been significantly impacted. I am thankful to all of our law enforcement partners and want to give a special thanks to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) for its prompt and professional investigative response at this massive crime scene."

Crime and Public SafetyMinneapolisMinneapolis Police Department