A Minneapolis gunman killed two residents at the Shoreline Plaza apartment complex before being shot dead by police, after allegedly opening fire during a child-custody handover and amid an eviction case linked to threats and gun incidents.
Carlton Neal Johnson II, 35, is accused of shooting the mother of his child before entering the building in downtown Minneapolis on Wednesday afternoon. He then allegedly fired at two members of staff before going to the ninth floor, where he lived, and killing Dale Henry Spry, 63, and Muse Abdi Afrah, 61.
The complex, at 15 East Grant Street in the Loring Park area, was formerly known as Loring Towers. Officers were called at about 4.36pm after reports of gunfire, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has taken over the investigation. ([minneapolismn.gov](https://www.minneapolismn.gov/news/2026/august/shooting-sept-2/?utm_source=openai))
Two Minneapolis police officers, Joseph Michnowski and Yahye Ahmed, were shot and injured during the response. A third officer, Ernest Boateng, was struck by glass.
One of the wounded officers has since been released from hospital, while the other remained under treatment, according to Minneapolis police. Authorities said Johnson died in an exchange of gunfire with officers, rather than by suicide. ([mprnews.org](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/09/03/minneapolis-shooting-at-shoreline-plaza-loring-towers-apartment-building-under-investigation?utm_source=openai))
Minneapolis shooting suspect was facing eviction
Court records show Johnson had been facing eviction from his subsidised flat, where he had lived since March 2025. A hearing in the case was scheduled for September 11.
Property managers alleged that he had repeatedly disturbed neighbours, assaulted a resident, openly carried a firearm and threatened to kill someone. The eviction complaint said he later entered a management office, displayed a gun in front of staff and tried to discover who had contacted police.
Johnson denied breaching his tenancy agreement and said Minnesota law prevented landlords from restricting the lawful possession or carrying of firearms. He also denied assaulting residents and insisted he had never threatened to kill or harm anyone with the weapon.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said her office had reviewed an earlier incident in which Johnson was accused of displaying a firearm, but decided not to proceed because there was insufficient evidence. She said prosecutors also declined to charge him over a later allegation that he threatened a resident while brandishing a gun. ([fox9.com](https://www.fox9.com/news/minneapolis-shooters-violent-past-includes-numerous-threats-firearm.amp?utm_source=openai))
Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said investigators believed the shooting began outside the building during a custody exchange. The woman who was shot survived after officers applied a tourniquet and took her to hospital.
Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey said the emergency treatment was likely to have saved her life. Police later encountered a haze on the ninth floor which officials believe may have been caused by a fire extinguisher damaged by gunfire.
Spry, a US Army veteran who served in Iraq, was remembered by his family as a respected contractor and a much-loved figure in Minneapolis’s Native American and Northside communities.
His nephew Kendall Coleman told KARE 11 that Spry’s memory would bring smiles despite the tragedy. “You can’t say Dale Spry and be sad,” he said. “It’s sad he’s gone, but all the memories that come along with him will make you smile.”
Coleman said Spry, known to relatives as “Unc”, regularly took part in family events and charitable activities including Toys for Tots. His former partner Vicki Parsons told the Minneapolis Star Tribune she was “shocked” by his death.
“Nobody deserves to die like that,” she said.
Investigators are continuing to examine Johnson’s possible motive, his contact with the people involved and the circumstances of the police-involved shooting. Authorities have not indicated that the two men killed were specifically targeted.
