Police kill Minneapolis gunman after he kills two neighbors and injures five others

A 35-year-old man opened fire in a Minneapolis apartment building on Wednesday afternoon, killing two residents and injuring five others, among them two police officers, an ex-girlfriend and two building employees. Police officers arrived 2 minutes and 26 seconds after the first 911 call and killed the shooter, identified as Carlton Johnson, during the confrontation.

According to building residents, court documents and law-enforcement officials, Johnson had previously threatened neighbors, displayed his pistol repeatedly and warned he intended to shoot people. One resident said Johnson showed him the gun and told him he planned to target his ex-girlfriend and two building managers because of an eviction threat. The building’s owners were pursuing eviction, and a restraining order had been filed against him.

The shooting began around 4:30 p.m. outside the building’s entrance during a custody handoff, when Johnson wounded a woman believed to be the mother of his child. He then shot two building employees, rode an elevator to the ninth floor and killed two residents before police engaged him. Two officers were also hit by gunfire.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension noted that it was unclear whether the victims on the ninth floor were specific targets. The status of the injured victims’ hospitalizations remained uncertain the following day.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said police had investigated a June 25 incident in which Johnson displayed a weapon, but the county attorney’s office declined to file charges, citing insufficient evidence. The office also did not seek an emergency order to remove the firearm.

Interim Police Chief Bill Peterson said the department had only recently become aware of many of the prior incidents involving Johnson and emphasized the challenges of allocating investigative resources.

Residents described Johnson as a frequent drinker with a volatile temperament who kept a pistol in his waistband. One neighbor, who had moved into the building in June, said he deliberately avoided Johnson, describing him as “trouble.”