A deadly minneapolis shooting at a downtown apartment complex on September 2, 2026, left two residents and the suspected gunman dead and five other people wounded by gunfire, including two Minneapolis police officers. The incident unfolded at Shoreline Plaza near Loring Park and triggered a major multi-agency emergency response.
Quick answer: The September 2 Minneapolis shooting began during an apparent child-custody exchange outside Shoreline Plaza at 15 East Grant Street. Investigators say 35-year-old Carlton Neal Johnson II shot the mother of his child, entered the apartment building, wounded two employees, killed two residents and later exchanged gunfire with responding police officers.
Authorities have since released additional investigative information and police body-camera footage. As of September 20, 2026, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) investigation remains important to establishing the complete sequence of events and the circumstances surrounding the police gunfire.
What Happened in the Minneapolis Shooting?
The minneapolis shooting occurred on Wednesday, September 2, at Shoreline Plaza, an apartment building at 15 East Grant Street near downtown Minneapolis and the Loring Park neighborhood.
Police received reports of gunfire at approximately 4:36 p.m. When officers reached the property, they found wounded people and heard additional shots coming from elsewhere in the building.
Investigators later said the violence apparently started outside the building during a custody exchange involving Johnson, the mother of his child and their child.
According to BCA Superintendent Drew Evans, Johnson shot the child’s mother in the leg. The child was able to get away and was not physically injured.
Johnson then entered Shoreline Plaza.
Investigators say he shot two apartment employees on the first floor before taking an elevator to the ninth floor, where he lived. On that floor, he shot two residents who later were identified as Dale Henry Spry, 63, and Muse A. Afrah, 61. Both were killed.
Minneapolis Shooting Timeline
| Stage | What authorities say happened |
|---|---|
| Around 4:30 p.m. | The incident began outside Shoreline Plaza during an apparent custody exchange |
| Initial shooting | The mother of Johnson’s child was shot and wounded |
| First floor | Johnson entered the building and allegedly shot two employees |
| Ninth floor | Johnson went to the floor where he lived and killed two residents |
| Police response | Officers entered the building and moved toward the gunfire |
| Ninth-floor confrontation | Johnson and officers exchanged gunfire |
| Aftermath | Johnson was killed; two officers were wounded by gunfire |
This sequence is based on information released by Minneapolis officials and the BCA as the investigation developed.
Who Was the Minneapolis Shooting Suspect?
Authorities identified the suspected shooter as Carlton Neal Johnson II, 35, a resident of Shoreline Plaza.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Johnson died from multiple gunshot wounds. State investigators said he was killed during an exchange of gunfire with Minneapolis police on the ninth floor.
Early reports did not establish precisely how the suspect had died. The subsequent BCA investigation clarified that his death occurred during the confrontation with officers rather than by suicide.
Investigators described the initial confrontation outside the building as connected to domestic violence. The later shootings inside the building expanded what began as an apparent custody-related incident into a mass-casualty event.
Was the Suspect Known to Police?
Yes. Minneapolis authorities said Johnson was known to police before the September 2 attack.
Court records reported by local news organizations showed that Johnson was facing eviction from Shoreline Plaza after previous allegations involving threats, violence and displays of a firearm.
Records described an alleged assault involving another resident in March. In June, Johnson was accused of openly displaying a firearm around the building and its management office.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said police responded on June 25 to a report involving Johnson displaying a firearm. Officers determined that he had a legal permit to carry and that he had not removed the gun from his waistband during the incident under review. Prosecutors later said there was insufficient evidence to bring charges or pursue an extreme risk protection order based on that incident.
That distinction matters. Reports or allegations made before an attack do not automatically mean authorities had sufficient evidence under the applicable legal standards to arrest someone, file charges or obtain a court order restricting firearm access.
Who Was Killed in the Minneapolis Shooting?
Two Shoreline Plaza residents were killed:
- Dale Henry Spry, 63
- Muse A. Afrah, 61
Both were believed to live in the apartment complex. Investigators said they were shot on the ninth floor, the same floor where Johnson had an apartment.
Johnson also died during the incident, bringing the total number of deaths to three when the suspected shooter is included.
Authorities initially said they did not have evidence showing that Spry and Afrah had been specifically targeted. Investigators continued examining Johnson’s connections, if any, to people encountered inside the building.
The distinction between the initial victim and later victims is significant to understanding the incident. Investigators believe the mother of Johnson’s child was deliberately targeted during the custody exchange, while the circumstances surrounding the shootings of other people inside Shoreline Plaza required further investigation.
How Many People Were Injured?
Five people other than the two residents who died were wounded by gunfire, according to later reporting on the incident. They included civilians and two Minneapolis police officers. A third officer suffered a separate, non-gunshot injury during the emergency response.
The two officers wounded by gunfire were identified as:
Officer Joseph Michnowski, who joined the Minneapolis Police Department in 2021, was shot during the ninth-floor confrontation and required surgery.
Officer Yahye Ahmed, who joined the department in November 2024, was also shot during the encounter and was subsequently released from the hospital.
By September 16, Minneapolis police confirmed that Michnowski had also returned home from the hospital.
One of the other wounded people was the mother of Johnson’s child. Two apartment employees were also shot after Johnson entered the building.
The child involved in the custody exchange escaped without physical injury, investigators said.
How Police Responded to the Loring Park Shooting
The first 911 reports brought Minneapolis officers to an exceptionally dangerous scene.
Officers encountered victims around the building and could hear additional gunfire. Rather than treating the initial location as the only crime scene, they moved through the apartment complex while trying to determine where the shooter had gone.
Johnson had taken an elevator to the ninth floor. Responding officers moved upstairs and eventually encountered him there.
Authorities identified Officer Liban Mohamed Ibrahim as an officer who discharged his firearm during the confrontation. Investigators have examined the complete officer-involved shooting as part of the BCA investigation.
The Minnesota State Patrol, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Minneapolis Park Police, St. Paul Police Department, University of Minnesota Police Department and officers from several neighboring departments were among the agencies assisting. The FBI also provided assistance at the scene.
What Was the Haze Officers Encountered?
One unusual detail in early reports was a smoke-like haze inside the building.
Initial information did not establish what caused it. Mayor Jacob Frey later said it was likely connected to a fire extinguisher that had been struck or discharged during the gunfire.
Body-camera footage subsequently showed smoke or powder spreading through the hallway during the confrontation.
This impaired visibility while officers were moving through an already confined apartment-building environment.
What Police Body-Camera Video Shows
One of the most significant updates came approximately two weeks after the minneapolis shooting, when Minneapolis released several clips from officers’ body-worn cameras.
The footage provides a clearer picture of what responding officers encountered on the ninth floor.
Video shows officers climbing the stairs and searching the hallway. Johnson can then be seen emerging from around a corner before gunfire erupts at close range.
Officer Michnowski was struck twice but remained able to communicate that he had been shot. Officer Ahmed was wounded in the leg.
Another portion of the released footage shows the later exchange of gunfire in which Johnson was killed.
The video also helps explain the haze reported by officers during the initial response: footage shows a cloud forming after what appeared to be a fire extinguisher or similar object was struck during the shooting.
Body-camera footage is valuable evidence, but it does not necessarily answer every investigative question on its own. Investigators can combine video with surveillance recordings, physical evidence, 911 records, witness accounts, medical findings and officers’ statements to reconstruct an incident.
Why Did the Minneapolis Shooting Happen?
Investigators have established an apparent starting point but have been more cautious about assigning a single motive to everything that happened afterward.
The BCA said the violence began as a domestic-violence incident during a custody exchange involving Johnson and the mother of his child.
What is less certain is why Johnson subsequently shot people inside Shoreline Plaza.
Authorities said there was no initial indication that the apartment employees or the two residents killed on the ninth floor were specifically targeted. Investigators have continued examining the relationships and circumstances surrounding those encounters.
That means two questions should be separated:
What apparently triggered the shooting?
The first attack occurred during a custody exchange, when investigators say Johnson shot the mother of his child.
Why were other people shot afterward?
Publicly released information has not established a definitive explanation for every subsequent shooting inside the building.
Avoiding speculation is particularly important in a developing investigation. Prior disputes, an eviction case or previous threatening behavior can provide context, but none by itself proves the motive for each act committed during the attack.
What Do Court Records Show About Events Before the Shooting?
One of the major questions following the attack has been whether there were warning signs.
Court documents showed Johnson was facing eviction from Shoreline Plaza. The proceedings involved allegations of lease violations and concerning behavior at the property.
Among the reported incidents were allegations that Johnson assaulted another resident and later displayed a firearm around building employees.
Another resident had sought a restraining order after alleging Johnson had assaulted and threatened him with a handgun.
Separately, records concerning the mother of Johnson’s child documented earlier allegations of repeated threatening communications.
These records have become part of the broader examination of what happened before September 2.
At the same time, authorities said Johnson legally possessed a permit to carry a firearm. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said evidence surrounding one June incident was insufficient to support criminal charges or an extreme risk protection order.
That background helps explain why the case has drawn attention beyond the immediate timeline of the shooting without establishing that the later attack could have been predicted with certainty.
Where Did the Minneapolis Shooting Take Place?
The attack occurred at Shoreline Plaza, 15 East Grant Street, near Loring Park and the Minneapolis Convention Center in downtown Minneapolis.
The property was formerly known as Loring Towers.
The shooting affected several areas of the property rather than a single room.
The initial violence occurred outside or near the building entrance. Additional shootings occurred on the first floor, followed by shootings and the confrontation with police on the ninth floor.
That spread created a complicated emergency scene for residents and first responders.
Authorities established a reunification location at Central Lutheran Church, while the American Red Cross arranged shelter assistance and the Salvation Army provided support.
Was This the Same as the Annunciation Catholic School Shooting?
No. This is an important distinction because searches for minneapolis shooting can return information about several separate incidents.
The September 2, 2026, Shoreline Plaza shooting was not the same event as the August 27, 2025, attack at Annunciation Catholic Church and School.
During the 2025 Annunciation attack, a gunman fired through church windows while students were attending Mass. Two children were killed and numerous other people were injured.
The Shoreline Plaza attack happened more than a year later, involved a different shooter and began in circumstances investigators described as domestic violence.
Minneapolis has also experienced other unrelated shootings that can appear in searches under the same broad phrase. Dates and locations therefore matter when reading breaking-news reports.
Who Is Investigating the Minneapolis Shooting?
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension took a central role in investigating the September 2 incident, including the exchange of gunfire between Johnson and Minneapolis police.
The investigation involves several different evidence streams:
- Police body-camera recordings.
- Apartment-building surveillance footage.
- Physical and ballistic evidence.
- 911 calls and dispatch records.
- Witness interviews.
- Medical examiner findings.
- Police reports and officers’ accounts.
- Johnson’s previous interactions with law enforcement and the court system.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s preliminary findings determined that Johnson died from multiple gunshot wounds and classified his manner of death as homicide, a medical classification indicating death caused by another person rather than a conclusion about criminal liability.
Investigators have also worked to determine exactly which officers discharged firearms and reconstruct the sequence of shots during the ninth-floor confrontation.
What Is the Latest Update on the Minneapolis Shooting?
As of September 20, 2026, the broad sequence of the attack has become considerably clearer than it was during the first hours after the shooting.
Authorities have identified the suspect, the two people killed and the police officers wounded during the response. Police have also released body-camera footage showing portions of the ninth-floor confrontation.
The confirmed central facts are:
- The shooting occurred September 2 at Shoreline Plaza near Loring Park.
- Carlton Neal Johnson II, 35, was identified as the shooter.
- Investigators say the attack began during an apparent custody exchange.
- The mother of Johnson’s child was wounded.
- The child escaped without physical injury.
- Two apartment employees were shot.
- Residents Dale Henry Spry, 63, and Muse A. Afrah, 61, were killed.
- Officers Joseph Michnowski and Yahye Ahmed were wounded by gunfire.
- Johnson was killed during an exchange of gunfire with police.
- Body-camera footage of portions of the police response has been released.
- The BCA has been investigating the officer-involved portion of the incident.
Some details can still change as investigators complete reports and reconcile video, forensic evidence and witness accounts.
Understanding the Minneapolis Shooting as the Investigation Continues
The September 2 minneapolis shooting began with an apparent domestic dispute and rapidly expanded into a deadly attack inside a downtown apartment building.
Two residents — Dale Henry Spry and Muse A. Afrah — were killed. Five other people were wounded by gunfire, including two Minneapolis police officers, while the suspected shooter, Carlton Neal Johnson II, died during the confrontation with police.
Later releases, particularly body-camera footage, have provided a clearer account of the police response. But questions surrounding the shooter’s decisions after entering Shoreline Plaza and the exact circumstances of every shooting remain matters for investigators rather than speculation.
For readers following future developments, the most reliable approach is to check the date of each report and distinguish confirmed findings from preliminary statements. In a fast-moving case, early casualty figures and descriptions can change as hospitals, investigators and medical examiners verify information.
