Suspect in Minneapolis downtown shooting had pending eviction over prior gun incidents

Police identified the suspected shooter as 35-year-old Carlton Neal Johnson, who was killed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound following a mass shooting at a downtown Minneapolis apartment complex that left two people dead and six injured, including three police officers. Interim Minneapolis Police Chief Bill Peterson said officers were familiar with Johnson but did not confirm his identity at a press conference.

Court filings reveal Johnson had signed a lease at the Shoreline Plaza complex in March 2025 and was served an eviction notice on June 16, citing six incidents dating back to January, including an alleged assault on a resident and multiple instances of openly displaying a firearm to staff and other residents. The notice warned him to comply with Minnesota’s conceal-and-carry laws and refrain from brandishing a gun on the premises.

According to the documents, Johnson was evicted earlier on the day of the shooting. He also faced a restraining order after a mother of his child reported receiving over 120 threatening text messages in March 2023. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is expected to update the investigation on Thursday, with city officials slated to brief the public on the condition of the injured officers later that day.

"Our officers have shown that they are willing and they respond and run towards gunfire when others are running from it, and it is absolutely horrific," Peterson said.

The identities of the two deceased victims have not been released. Among the injured, one officer required surgery after being shot twice in the stomach, another sustained a leg wound, and a third suffered a non-life-threatening injury. Four additional officers reported adverse effects after exposure to an unknown airborne substance.