Three Dead in Minneapolis Shooting; Additional Officers Report Airborne Effects and Crash Injuries

Police say two victims and the suspected gunman are dead

MINNEAPOLIS — Two victims were killed and the suspected gunman is also dead after a shooting inside a downtown Minneapolis apartment building Wednesday afternoon, police said at an evening briefing.

One victim died at the scene and a second died after arriving at Hennepin County Medical Center. The hospital said it received seven patients from the incident. Three Minneapolis police officers were injured, including two who suffered gunshot wounds.

All three officers were in stable condition Wednesday evening, according to the hospital. Police said one officer was shot in the leg, another was undergoing surgery and the third sustained an injury not caused by gunfire. Three civilians also survived injuries. Authorities have not released the names of the two victims or the officers.

Read the source: City of Minneapolis: Official briefing notice and confirmation that there is no continuing public threat ↗

Officers followed gunfire to an upper floor

Police received the first 911 call shortly after 4:30 p.m. and entered the high-rise near 15 East Grant Street within approximately three minutes, police spokesperson Garrett Parten said.

Officers found victims inside, then heard additional gunfire and followed it to a higher floor. Parten said officers encountered a haze that sharply limited visibility, but he did not explain what caused it.

The building is near the Loring Park neighborhood and several blocks south of the Minneapolis Convention Center. The initial response brought city police, state public-safety personnel, the FBI, ATF and officers from surrounding agencies to the area.

Read the source: Associated Press: Police briefing, deaths, officer injuries and response timeline ↗

Court records describe disputed firearm threats before the shooting

FOX 9 reported that court records show the 35-year-old suspect was facing eviction after building management accused him of displaying a firearm and making threats in June. The records allege that he openly displayed the weapon to management personnel and told residents he had obtained a new gun and would kill someone.

The suspect denied the allegations in the eviction case, and a court hearing was scheduled for September 11. The records establish that the accusations and eviction proceeding existed; they do not prove the allegations or establish a motive for Wednesday's shooting.

CBS Minnesota reported that multiple law-enforcement sources identified the suspect as Carlton Neal Johnson. Minneapolis police said officers were familiar with the suspect but did not publicly name him. His identity therefore remains source-attributed pending confirmation from police or the medical examiner.

Read the source: CBS Minnesota: Police briefing, hospital count and investigation details ↗

Direct casualties and separate response injuries

Police and local reporting account for three deaths and six people who survived direct injuries at the scene: two victims and the suspected gunman died, while three officers and three civilians survived. Hennepin County Medical Center received seven patients, including the victim who later died.

The City of Minneapolis and CBS Minnesota also report that four additional officers experienced adverse effects after exposure to an unknown airborne substance. Two other officers were injured when a squad car crashed on Nicollet Avenue outside Target while responding to the shooting. Those six officers are separate from the three injured at the shooting scene.

Officials have not identified the airborne substance, explained whether it was intentionally released or published complete conditions for the additional officers and surviving civilians. The expanded response count should not be collapsed into the number of people shot.

CBS Minnesota reported, citing sources, that the suspected gunman died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police had not publicly confirmed that cause of death. The city said there was no continuing threat to the public after the evening briefing.

Read the source: MPR News: Three deaths and three injured officers confirmed after the police briefing ↗

Confirmed now — and what remains unknown

Confirmed: two victims and the suspected gunman died; three officers and three civilians survived direct injuries; two officers were shot; four additional officers experienced adverse effects from an unknown airborne substance; two other officers were hurt in a response crash; the suspect was facing an eviction proceeding containing disputed firearm-threat allegations; and the city says there is no continuing threat to the public.

Still unknown or officially undisclosed: formal police or medical-examiner confirmation of the suspect's identity, the motive, the weapon used, the relationship among those involved, the suspect's cause of death, the nature of the airborne substance, the additional officers' conditions, the surviving civilian patients' conditions and a final investigative timeline.

The lead image is an authentic 2019 file photograph of a Minneapolis Police Department squad car outside Minneapolis City Hall. Photographer Tony Webster released it under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. It establishes the agency and downtown setting but does not depict Wednesday's shooting, victims or emergency response.

Read the source: FOX 9: Six surviving injured people and eviction records alleging prior firearm threats ↗