2 killed, suspect dead, 6 injured including officers in Minneapolis mass shooting
3 injured officers all expected to recover; suspect known to police
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Three police officers were injured and three people, including the suspected shooter, are dead following a shooting in Minneapolis at an apartment complex formerly known as Loring Towers.
Police responded at 4:36 p.m. to 911 calls of a shooting at 15 East Grant Street near the Convention Center in downtown.
When officers arrived they found victims and heard additional gunfire, police spokesperson Sgt. Garrett Parten told reporters in the late afternoon. Officers followed the gunfire up the building where they “encountered a haze that significantly limited visibility,” he said.
Three officers were injured, two by gunfire. One has a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the leg, one officer needed surgery and the third was evaluated for a non-life-threatening injury. At about 7:30 p.m., the city said the area was secure and there was no further threat.
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All three officers are expected to recover fully, interim police Chief Bill Peterson told reporters around 9 p.m.
Peterson said he had no information on a motive but that the police “were familiar with who this individual was.”
Citing multiple sources, MPR News partner KARE 11 identified the suspected shooter as Carlton Johnson II. According to court records, property managers filed suit in June in an effort to have Johnson evicted from his 9th floor apartment.
On June 16, an attorney for Loring Towers, now known as Shoreline Plaza, notified Johnson that property managers were terminating his lease effective June 29 following a half dozen rule violations, including the assault of a resident on March 23.
Then on June 11, Johnson allegedly walked around the building brandishing a gun and “entered the management office and openly displayed the firearm” to building staff members, writes attorney Laurel Pugh.
Pugh adds that around the same time, Johnson told other residents that he’d obtained a new gun and “would kill someone.” Pugh also alleges that two days later Johnson flashed his gun to people on the sidewalk outside the building.
In the days after he was given notice of eviction, Johnson allegedly made “concerning verbal statements” to a security officer about using a firearm and lifted up his shirt to display the gun. On June 25, Pugh writes that Johnson threatened a resident with his firearm and “verbally accosted staff” in an attempt to learn who had called the police.
A spokesperson for the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office told MPR news that Johnson was not the subject of a court-ordered eviction. But court records show that a trial on the landlord’s request had been scheduled for Sept. 11.
‘Dangerous situation’
Dozens of emergency vehicles descended on the late afternoon scene outside the Shoreline Plaza apartment complex near the Minneapolis Convention Center and Loring Park.
Officers with long guns and a SWAT team could be seen rushing to the scene as police pushed backed the perimeter.
Peterson told reporters that the police initially responded to a 911 call about one person shot. More 911 calls followed and the emergency response was raised to an active shooter.
Following gunshot sounds to the upper floor, officers found and exchanged gunfire with the suspect, he said, adding that it’s still unknown how the shooter died.
The names of all those dead or injured have yet to be released.
The city also noted that two officers were hurt when their squad car was involved in a crash while responding to the scene.
Peterson and Mayor Jacob Frey praised the bravery of the officers who entered the building and pursued the shooter.
"I cant emphasize enough how dangerous this situation was and how heroic our officers were in their response,” Frey said.
‘Please don’t let me get shot’
Umecua Agnew lives in the building where the shooting happened. She said she was in the building elevator at about 4 p.m. and about to step out onto the first floor when she heard gunshots. She hit the button to close the doors and go back up.
“I could hear it like it was just coming up the stairs,” she said of the gunfire. “It was getting to where I was at and I’m praying to the Lord, please don’t let me get shot.”
She got off the elevator and ran into her apartment as the shooting continued. She said she went to her bathroom, got on the floor and prayed. Shortly after that, the building alarms went off and they were told to exit.
On social media, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said state investigators were responding to support local local law enforcement. The FBI also said it responded to assist local authorities.
MPR News reporters Sarah Thamer and Ahmed Hassan contributed to this report.
