Carlton Neal Johnson II had faced repeated complaints involving firearms before authorities say he killed two neighbors and wounded five others.
MINNEAPOLIS — The 35-year-old man authorities identified as the gunman in a deadly downtown Minneapolis apartment shooting had been fighting eviction after a series of alleged confrontations, threats and incidents involving a firearm, according to court records and law enforcement officials.
Carlton Neal Johnson II lived at Shoreline Plaza, formerly known as Loring Towers, where authorities say he opened fire Sept. 2, killing residents Muse A. Afrah, 61, and Dale Henry Spry, 63, and wounding three other civilians. Two Minneapolis police officers were also shot before Johnson was fatally wounded during an exchange of gunfire with police. Investigators have not announced a motive for the killings or determined publicly whether Afrah and Spry were specifically targeted.
Johnson had lived in a ninth-floor apartment at the downtown complex since March 2025. Court records show apartment management moved to end his tenancy in June after alleging a series of lease violations. A June 16 notice cited six incidents dating to January, including claims that Johnson disturbed other residents, assaulted a resident, openly displayed a firearm and made statements about killing someone. Johnson denied allegations made against him during the eviction proceedings.
The records describe several encounters involving Johnson and a firearm in June. Management alleged that he openly displayed a gun in the building’s office on June 11 and showed a firearm to people outside the property two days later. After Johnson sought another chance to remain in the building, management issued what court records described as a last-chance directive that included instructions concerning his conduct and the display of firearms.
The eviction complaint alleged additional problems followed. On June 19, Johnson made concerning statements about using a firearm while showing one to a security employee, according to the filing. On June 25, the complaint alleged he displayed a firearm during another confrontation with a resident. Police responded to that incident. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office later said Johnson had a valid permit to carry and that investigators reported the weapon remained in his waistband. Prosecutors determined the available evidence was insufficient to prove a criminal charge beyond a reasonable doubt.
The housing dispute remained unresolved as September began. Court records showed Johnson was due back in Hennepin County court Sept. 11 in connection with the eviction case. Local reports differed on the precise status of the eviction immediately before the shooting, with some sources saying he had been removed or was about to be removed. What is clear from the filed records is that management had sought to terminate his tenancy and that the dispute was still moving through court. Authorities have not said the eviction case caused the shooting.
Public records also showed earlier encounters with the criminal justice system. Johnson pleaded guilty in 2012 to violating a contact order in a domestic abuse case, according to records reviewed by local news organizations. In 2018, he was charged with domestic assault after his sister accused him of assaulting her during an argument. The assault charge was later dismissed after Johnson pleaded guilty to misdemeanor property damage. He received a 90-day jail sentence, with most of the sentence stayed under probation terms.
Johnson was also the subject of a restraining-order proceeding involving the mother of his child, according to court records reported by CBS Minnesota. Those documents described allegations that Johnson sent numerous insulting and threatening messages over several days in 2023. The earlier allegations provide context about prior disputes but do not establish why authorities say Johnson opened fire at Shoreline Plaza more than three years later.
Investigators say the Sept. 2 violence began outside the apartment building during a child custody exchange involving Johnson, his child and the child’s mother. Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said investigators believe Johnson shot and wounded the woman before moving into the building. The child was not physically injured. Authorities said Johnson then shot two building employees before taking an elevator to the ninth floor.
On the ninth floor, investigators say Johnson fatally shot Afrah and Spry, both residents of the complex. Police officers who had arrived after a 911 report of gunfire moved through the building and toward the sound of additional shots. Authorities said officers encountered Johnson amid reduced visibility and exchanged gunfire with him. A preliminary autopsy found Johnson died from multiple gunshot wounds, and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office classified his death as a homicide. In medical examiner terminology, that classification describes a death caused by another person and does not by itself determine criminal liability.
The BCA identified Minneapolis police Officer Liban Mohamed Ibrahim as one officer who fired his weapon during the encounter. Investigators were still determining whether other officers also fired. Officers Joseph Michnowski and Yahye Ahmed were wounded by gunfire. Michnowski, a five-year department veteran, was shot twice in the abdomen and underwent surgery. Ahmed, who joined the department in 2024, was shot in the leg and was released from the hospital Thursday. A third officer suffered a separate injury involving broken glass.
The investigation continued Thursday as state agents processed the Shoreline Plaza scene and examined the events leading up to the shooting. Authorities had confirmed Johnson’s identity and the identities of the two people killed, but significant questions remained, including why Johnson attacked the victims and whether the two residents killed on the ninth floor were chosen deliberately. Officials have not announced evidence establishing the eviction dispute or any previous allegation as the motive for the attack.
Author note: Last updated September 3, 2026.