Questions remain as investigators scour the scene of Minneapolis shooting that leaves 3 dead

Dozens of law enforcement officers were at the apartment building where the shooting occurred Wednesday evening, along with a mobile crime scene unit from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the state investigative agency.

By Wednesday morning, more was being unearthed about the suspect in the deadly mass shooting, now widely being identified as 35-year-old Carlton Johnson II. He has yet to be officially named by law enforcement, but officials did confirm that he was "known" to them.

Johnson lived at the Shoreline Plaza Apartments, formerly known as Loring Towers, on East Grant Street near Nicollet Avenue, where the shooting took place.

One resident of the building told WCCO's Taylor Rivera that he knew Johnson, who was facing an eviction order due to numerous reported incidents this year. Those include incidents where he brandished a firearm at apartment staff and residents.

"He was feeling bad cause he was getting evicted. He was mad, but he had to think about it cause you can't show your gun," he told WCCO Radio. "He had a gun license, and he just kept showing his gun, like to people. And then he put his gun one of the managers there, so he had to go. It was leading up to it and then he starts saying he was gonna kill people. Put it on Facebook, but I thought he's playing. He always played like that."

According to Minnesota court documentation obtained by WCCO Radio, property managers at the Shoreline Plaza apartment complex, formerly known as the Loring Towers, filed to have Johnson II evicted from his 9th floor apartment on June 16th.

The notice sent to Johnson cited several incidents and violations dating back to January 16, 2026. The first filing came on June 29, 2026 and Johnson appeared at an in-person hearing on July 23.

His other court date was supposed to be on August 14, but a continuance was granted to September 11th.

• Jan. 16: Disturbed the peace of other residents by engaging in loud arguments with others and repeatedly knocking on a resident's door.
• Feb. 19: Allowed access to a guest without following the required sign-in procedures.
• March 23: Assaulted a resident on the premises.
• June 11: Walked around the premises with a firearm openly displayed. Entered management office and openly displayed the firearm to multiple management personnel.
• On or before June 11: Made multiple statements to other residents about obtaining a new gun and would kill someone.
• On June 13: Flashed gun to others on the nearby sidewalk outside the premises.
• June 19: Made concerning verbal statements about using a firearm to a security officer, lifted shirt to show officer his gun.
• June 25: Walked around block of property with firearm visible. Threatened a resident with his firearm, brandished it at another resident. Police were called and Johnson "verbally accosted" staff in an attempt to identify who had called police. Attempted to bribe staff to tell him who called police.

The area around the complex is still very much closed off as the investigation continues. It has obviously has left people still living in the building on edge as they wait for the all-clear to return to the building.

That is complicated by the fact that it is low-income housing, with numerous elderly people, and some needing assistance.

"To me, I don't feel like it's safe," said one resident.

"I heard one person got in through talking to BCA. I just asked, and I guess I'm not able to go, probably around 10:00," another resident explained.

Three people including the suspect died. Of the six who were injured, three were police officers. Two of them were shot, but it appears all three will survive according to a social media post from Gov. Tim Walz.

"I'm truly sickened by this level of violence. That feeling is tempered only by the courageous actions of the Minneapolis police officers who responded without hesitation," noted Interim Minneapolis police chief Bill Peterson.

Shoreline Plaza residents were originally told they could go back into their apartments at 10:00 a.m. Police now say it will at least be an hour, if not more, before the scene will be opened back up to them.

There's also no word yet on when the names of the victims will be released.

A 911 call about shots fired at the building came in just after 4:30 p.m. Officers were inside the building within two minutes and quickly found victims, Peterson said.

Officers heard more gunshots and followed them to a higher floor, where they found “a haze that significantly limited their visibility,” he said. Peterson did not provide additional details about the haze.

One officer was shot in the leg and another was shot twice in the abdomen, he said.

Authorities did not provide any details about the suspected shooter but said they were familiar with the person before the shooting.

One victim was fatally shot at the scene, and one died after arriving at the hospital, he said. It was not immediately clear how the shooter died, he said.

Resident Julius Bailey was sitting with a friend just outside the building entrance when he heard gunshots and saw a man he recognized as another resident holding a pistol. Bailey said he heard a woman screaming and immediately started running, counting eight shots as he headed for safety.

Bailey said the man with the gun was well known in the building for his belligerence and showing off his weapon. Bailey, who moved into the building in June, said he went out of his way to avoid the man.

“I could tell he was trouble,” he said.

Chris Miller, who also lives in the apartment building, said he heard a rapid succession of gunshots and quickly ran outside for safety. He said he believed he knew who carried out the shooting and that he encountered someone in the hallway with a handgun earlier this week and reported that person to management.