Three killed in Minneapolis downtown shooting that began as custody exchange

Police investigators said the shooting that left three people dead and six injured in downtown Minneapolis began around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday when 35-year-old Carlton Johnson II met the mother of his child for a custody exchange outside Shoreline Plaza, near Nicollet Avenue and East Grant Street. During the exchange Johnson shot the child's mother, then entered the building and wounded two employees, while the child escaped unharmed. He later went to the ninth floor, where he lived alone, and shot two other residents, both of whom died.

"The role that domestic violence continues to play in mass casualty incidents and other situations where people are shot and killed continues to be a problem that we need to continue to encounter and figure out as a society," said Superintendent Paul Evans.

Minneapolis police, including SWAT units, responded within minutes. Interim Police Chief Bill Peterson said at least 157 officers were deployed. Officers entered the building at about 4:39 p.m., encountering multiple victims and gunfire from upper floors. Two officers, Joseph Michnowski and Yahye Ahmed, were shot; a third officer was injured by broken glass. Ahmed was released from the hospital on Thursday, while Michnowski remained hospitalized.

The victims on the ninth floor were identified as 63-year-old Dale Henry Spry and 61-year-old Muse Abdi Afrah. Both died, one at a hospital and the other at the scene. The mother of Johnson's child and the two injured employees have not been named but are recovering.

Authorities are still investigating Johnson's motives and whether the victims were specifically targeted. Earlier reports indicated Johnson was contesting an eviction order from the building. The incident also prompted a brief haze inside the building, which officials suggested may have resulted from an exploded fire extinguisher.