Two people were killed and six injured in a shooting at the Loring Towers apartment complex in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. The police officers who responded to the call entered the building and went up to the top floor, where they exchanged fire with the suspect. Several officers were injured, and employees from several departments, special forces and armored vehicles were brought to the scene. The shooter has been eliminated. What is known at the moment is in the RTVI material.
Police received reports of shots fired and one person injured at 15 East Grant Street at 4:36 p.m., city officials said. Officers arrived on scene to find victims suffering from gunshot wounds, heard gunshots and entered the building. They went to the top floor, where there was haze “which significantly limited their visibility.” A shootout began.
According to The Minnesota Star Tribune, the fire was initially opened by 35-year-old Carlton Neil Johnson, who had previously been evicted from the apartment complex. On June 16, he was served with a notice stating that he had violated the terms of his lease six times between January 16 and June 13. In particular, in March he attacked another resident, and in June he walked around the complex with a firearm twice, threatening that he would “kill someone.”
In early August, Johnson's lawyer filed a response to the notice. It said Minnesota law prohibits landlords from “restricting the lawful carrying or possession of firearms by tenants or their guests.” Johnson had a permit to carry a weapon. He denied attacking other tenants or making threats and asked for the eviction case to be postponed. The proceedings were still pending on Wednesday.
Sources told CNN that on Wednesday, before the shooting began, police had already been called to the same residential complex because of an incident that could be related to Johnson.
How exactly and why the incident started is currently unknown. According to some assumptions, Johnson began the chaotic shooting precisely because of his eviction. At the same time, Chris Miller, who lives in the same residential complex, told CBS News that the suspect could have been aiming at his friend.
“I heard the sirens and the police, I got in the elevator, I went down and I saw three different bodies lying on the floor covered in blood,” Miller said.
Abdivakil Mohamed, who was passing by in a car, added that Johnson fired from a high position and in particular at those people who were already lying on the ground.
According to The Minnesota Star Tribune, Johnson has been convicted of domestic violence and has an extensive criminal history overall. He faced 34 criminal charges, mostly for traffic violations, but also two assault charges and two drug-related counts.
He was first convicted in 2012 when he violated a domestic violence restraining order and received probation and a $50 fine. In 2018, his sister filed a complaint against Johnson: she stated that he, while drunk, “threw” her around the apartment and knocked down the door. Johnson then agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of property damage and had the domestic violence charge dropped. The man was eventually sentenced to 90 days in prison, of which he served 4.
Sources told CBS News that Johnson apparently committed suicide. Police have not yet confirmed the identity of the suspect or his motive.
As CBS News notes, “unprecedented forces” of law enforcement agencies from several departments and jurisdictions were brought to the scene of the shooting, in particular two armored special forces vehicles, as well as a large number of ambulances.
Seven people were taken to a nearby hospital, where one of them died. The second died at the scene.
Three police officers were among the victims. One had two bullet wounds in the stomach and was operated on. Another officer was shot in the leg, and a third was examined by paramedics for minor injuries, Minneapolis police spokesman Garrett Parten said.
In addition, four more officers were found to have “negative effects” due to an unknown substance that was sprayed on the premises. Also, two police officers were injured in an accident where their patrol car got involved while they were on their way to a call.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey thanked police officers for their bravery and courage. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz also expressed his gratitude to them.
“We are relieved to hear from Minneapolis Police that the officers involved in today's shooting are expected to make a full recovery. We are praying for all those affected as more information becomes available regarding this tragic shooting,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
This is at least the second fatal shooting at Loring Towers in less than a year, according to CBS News. At the end of September 2025, a man shot two more people there. The suspect was arrested.
