LIVE: Minneapolis mass shooting: BCA to provide briefing
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota BCA is set to provide a briefing Thursday afternoon on the mass shooting in Minneapolis that left three people dead, including the gunman and six people hurt, including the gunman.
BCA to hold briefing
What we know:
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is scheduled to hold a briefing at 2 p.m. on the shooting at Loring Towers.
The City of Minneapolis has also scheduled a news conference at 3 p.m. to give updates on the shooting.
FOX 9 will carry both press conference on-air, online in the live player above and on our YouTube channel.
Loring Towers shooting
The backstory:
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.
Officers arrived within minutes and found two victims in the lobby. One victim died at the scene and the other died at a hospital.
Police then heard additional shots coming from an upper floor. When officers reached the ninth floor, they encountered an unknown smoke or haze before exchanging gunfire with the suspected gunman.
Local perspective:
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.
Who was the suspect?
Dig deeper:
Sources confirmed the shooter, who also died during the incident, was 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.
Big picture view:
In a statement on Thursday afternoon, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty detailed a previous incident involving Johnson and a gun.
During the incident, police said Johnson flashed his gun at another person. The case was reviewed by the county attorney's office but not charged.
According to Moriarty, an experienced prosecutor reviewed the case and determined "that the case likely could not be charged due to insufficient evidence to prove a charge beyond a reasonable doubt."
Moriarty said Johnson had a legal permit to carry, and the gun was displayed but never left his waistband.
The case was also flagged for an Extreme Risk Protection Order – which would have led to Johnson's losing his gun. However, Moriarty said a review of that also found "insufficient evidence" to move forward with a petition.