minneapolis shooting: What Happened in Loring Park

A deadly shooting at a downtown Minneapolis apartment building on September 2, 2026, left two residents and the gunman dead and several other people wounded, including two police officers. The attack unfolded at Shoreline Plaza near Loring Park and triggered a large emergency response across downtown Minneapolis.

The minneapolis shooting began during a child-custody exchange outside Shoreline Plaza before gunfire moved inside the apartment building. Authorities identified the gunman as 35-year-old Carlton Neal Johnson II. He killed residents Dale Henry Spry and Muse A. Afrah, wounded several others, and was ultimately fatally shot during an exchange of gunfire with Minneapolis police.

The case has drawn particular attention not only because of the deaths and injuries, but also because court records, residents and investigators described warning signs before the attack. More recently, police released body-camera footage showing officers confronting the armed gunman on the ninth floor.

What Happened in the minneapolis shooting?

The September 2 attack occurred at Shoreline Plaza, an apartment complex at 15 E. Grant Street near Loring Park and the Minneapolis Convention Center. The property was formerly known as Loring Towers.

According to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), the violence began outside the building during an arranged custody handoff involving Johnson and a woman believed to be the mother of his child. Johnson shot and wounded the woman. The child involved in the exchange was not physically injured.

Johnson then entered the apartment building.

Investigators said he shot two building employees before taking an elevator to the ninth floor. On that floor, two residents were fatally shot. Authorities later said they were still determining whether those two residents had been deliberately targeted or encountered during the attack.

Multiple 911 calls brought Minneapolis police to the building. Officers encountered injured people and continuing gunfire as they moved through the property.

The situation developed extremely quickly. According to reporting based on law-enforcement accounts, officers entered the building about two minutes and 26 seconds after the first 911 call.

Quick timeline of the shooting

The City of Minneapolis initially reported three deaths — two civilians and the suspected shooter — along with several injured civilians and officers.

Where Did the Minneapolis Shooting Happen?

The shooting took place at Shoreline Plaza, 15 E. Grant Street, in the Loring Park area of downtown Minneapolis.

The apartment tower sits near the Minneapolis Convention Center in a densely populated part of the city. The building has also been known as Loring Towers, which explains why reports about the same incident may use either “Shoreline Plaza” or “Loring Towers.”

As the incident unfolded, a large number of local and state law-enforcement agencies responded.

According to the City of Minneapolis, responding agencies included the Minneapolis Police Department, Minnesota State Patrol, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Minneapolis Park Police, St. Paul Police Department and several suburban departments. The FBI also assisted at the scene.

Central Lutheran Church was designated as a reunification location, while the American Red Cross and Salvation Army assisted people affected by the emergency.

Who Was the Minneapolis Shooter?

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the gunman as Carlton Neal Johnson II, 35.

The BCA said a preliminary autopsy determined that Johnson died from multiple gunshot wounds. His manner of death was classified as homicide.

Investigators said Johnson was a resident of the apartment complex.

Information that emerged after the attack showed that his relationship with the property and some people around him had become increasingly contentious.

Court records reviewed by MPR News showed that the apartment property’s owner had filed an eviction complaint against Johnson in June. The complaint described alleged violent and threatening conduct, including displaying a firearm and threatening another resident. A trial related to the landlord’s request was scheduled for September 11.

A resident had also sought a restraining order, saying Johnson had physically assaulted and threatened him with a handgun.

Those records have become an important part of the investigation into events preceding the attack.

Who Was Killed in the Minneapolis Shooting?

Authorities identified the two residents killed as:

• Dale Henry Spry, 63
• Muse A. Afrah, 61

Both were believed to live at Shoreline Plaza.

Johnson was also killed, bringing the total number of deaths associated with the attack to three.

The distinction matters when reading early coverage. Initial breaking-news reports often described “three dead,” while subsequent reports clarified that the number included the gunman.

Dale Henry Spry

Spry was 63 and a resident of the apartment complex.

Later reporting from the Minnesota Star Tribune said his family described him as someone with longstanding ties to Minneapolis’ North Side and Native American communities and a history of military service.

Muse A. Afrah

Afrah was 61 and also lived at the building.

Authorities identified Afrah alongside Spry after the BCA and Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office worked to establish the identities of those killed.

How Many People Were Injured?

Five people other than the two residents killed were wounded by Johnson’s gunfire, according to later accounts of the investigation: his former partner, two building employees and two Minneapolis police officers.

Early official information also listed another police officer as injured through other circumstances during the response. This is one reason different reports may appear to give slightly different injury totals.

The City of Minneapolis initially said three officers had been injured and that additional officers experienced adverse effects after exposure to an unknown airborne substance. Two other officers were hurt when their squad car crashed while responding.

The people directly struck by the gunman’s fire and the broader number of people hurt during the emergency response should therefore not be treated as the same statistic.

The woman shot during the custody exchange

Investigators said the attack started when Johnson shot a woman believed to be the mother of his child during a custody handoff.

Later reporting identified her as 33-year-old Nyemuoch Gatkuoth Pal. Her young daughter was present but was not physically injured.

BCA Superintendent Drew Evans described domestic violence as central to the events that developed into the wider shooting.

Which Minneapolis Police Officers Were Shot?

The BCA identified the officers wounded by gunfire as Joseph Michnowski and Yahye Ahmed.

Michnowski had served with the Minneapolis Police Department since 2021. Ahmed joined the department in November 2024 after previously serving with other law-enforcement agencies.

The BCA also identified Officer Liban Mohamed Ibrahim as an officer who discharged his firearm during the encounter. Investigators initially said they were continuing to determine whether additional officers had fired.

The confrontation between Johnson and police took place in close quarters on the building’s ninth floor.

Body-camera recordings released later in September provided a clearer picture of that encounter.

What Does the Police Body-Camera Footage Show?

On September 16, Minneapolis police released body-worn camera footage from the response, giving the public a closer look at what officers encountered inside Shoreline Plaza.

According to MPR News and AP reporting on the videos, officers moved toward a victim lying in a hallway when Johnson appeared from around a corner with a handgun and fired. Officer Joseph Michnowski was hit.

The footage subsequently captures additional gunfire and Officer Yahye Ahmed being struck.

The videos largely align with the earlier sequence described by investigators: officers followed the shooting to the ninth floor and encountered Johnson there.

The footage also illustrates how rapidly the emergency unfolded inside a confined residential building, where officers were simultaneously searching for the shooter, locating victims and trying to move residents away from danger.

Investigators have continued examining the officers’ actions and the sequence of gunfire.

What Was the Motive Behind the Minneapolis Shooting?

Authorities have identified important circumstances surrounding the shooting, but it is useful to separate established facts from conclusions that remain under investigation.

Investigators said the attack began in connection with a child-custody exchange involving Johnson and his former partner. Johnson was also involved in an ongoing eviction dispute with Shoreline Plaza.

According to court records and reporting after the shooting, Johnson had allegedly threatened residents and building staff before September 2.

What remains less clear is why Spry and Afrah were shot on the ninth floor. Authorities have said investigators were working to determine whether those residents were deliberately targeted or encountered by Johnson during the attack.

That distinction is significant. A documented dispute or threat involving one person does not automatically establish a motive for every shooting during a multi-victim attack.

Were There Warning Signs Before the Shooting?

One of the most closely examined aspects of the case is the series of incidents reported before September 2.

Court records showed that Shoreline Plaza’s owners were seeking Johnson’s eviction. The complaint cited allegations including violent behavior, carrying or displaying a gun around the property and threats against another resident.

A resident living above Johnson had also requested a restraining order in June, saying he feared for his safety after allegedly being assaulted and threatened with a handgun.

Police investigated a June 25 incident involving Johnson and a firearm.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty’s office later said charges were not filed because prosecutors concluded there was insufficient evidence to prove a criminal charge beyond a reasonable doubt.

A threat was reportedly received shortly before the attack

Further information emerged after the initial reporting.

Search-warrant records and subsequent local reporting indicated that apartment management contacted police roughly four hours before the September 2 shooting concerning a threatening email connected with Johnson and the pending eviction dispute.

The Minnesota Star Tribune separately reported that the email had been sent the previous night and allegedly contained a threat involving apartment staff.

These developments have prompted scrutiny of how the earlier reports were handled and whether existing legal mechanisms could have changed the sequence of events.

They do not, by themselves, establish that authorities could have known precisely when or how the later attack would occur.

Why Was Johnson Facing Eviction?

Court records reported by MPR News show that Loring Towers — now Shoreline Plaza — filed an eviction complaint against Johnson in June 2026.

The complaint cited several allegations of disruptive or threatening behavior, including an alleged assault of another resident, displaying a gun around the property, threatening another resident with a firearm and making statements about killing someone.

Johnson remained in the building while the case moved through the legal process.

An eviction trial had been scheduled for September 11, nine days after the shooting.

The eviction dispute therefore forms part of the documented background to the incident, alongside the custody dispute and earlier reports involving weapons and threats.

Why Wasn’t the Gun Removed Earlier?

This question emerged quickly after details of Johnson’s previous encounters with police became public.

Minnesota has an extreme risk protection order process, sometimes called a “red flag” law, that can under qualifying circumstances temporarily restrict a person’s access to firearms.

Following the shooting, attention turned to whether earlier allegations concerning Johnson could have led to such an intervention.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said her office had previously reviewed the June 25 incident. Prosecutors did not bring charges, citing insufficient evidence to prove a criminal offense beyond a reasonable doubt, and the office did not pursue an emergency order to remove Johnson’s firearm.

The existence of warning signs and the legal standard required for a particular intervention are separate questions. Reviews of what authorities knew, when they knew it and what legal options were available are important for understanding the case without assuming an outcome that was not established at the time.

How Quickly Did Police Respond?

The first calls reporting the shooting came shortly after 4:30 p.m.

According to AP reporting based on authorities’ account, officers entered the building approximately 2 minutes and 26 seconds after the first 911 call.

When police arrived, they found shooting victims and could hear additional gunfire elsewhere in the building.

Officers moved upward through Shoreline Plaza as they tried to locate the shooter.

The City of Minneapolis said responding officers encountered a haze on an upper floor while dealing with the active threat.

Body-camera footage released two weeks later shows how officers ultimately encountered Johnson on the ninth floor.

The response eventually involved agencies from across the Minneapolis-St. Paul region as other departments helped secure the area and handle emergency calls elsewhere in the city.

What Happened to the Shooter?

Johnson was killed during the confrontation with Minneapolis police.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner determined that he died from multiple gunshot wounds and classified his death as a homicide, according to information released through the BCA.

In medical-examiner terminology, “homicide” describes death caused by another person. It does not by itself determine whether a shooting was legally justified or criminal.

The BCA is responsible for investigating the officer-involved portion of the incident.

That investigation includes examining body-camera recordings, physical evidence, firearms evidence, witness information and the actions of officers who discharged their weapons.

What Investigators Are Still Trying to Establish

Even when the broad sequence of a mass shooting becomes clear quickly, several details can take substantially longer to resolve.

Investigators have been examining the precise sequence of shots, which officers fired during the final confrontation, the gunman’s movements through Shoreline Plaza and whether the two residents killed on the ninth floor were specifically targeted.

Authorities also have to reconcile different forms of evidence.

These can include:

• 911 recordings and dispatch logs
• Police body-camera footage
• Building surveillance recordings
• Witness statements
• Firearms and ballistic evidence
• Medical examiner findings
• Court and eviction records
• Previous police reports
• Digital communications connected with threats

New evidence can change smaller details of the timeline even when the central facts remain unchanged. That is why early casualty counts, descriptions of injuries and accounts of who fired can differ from later official findings.

Why Some Reports Give Different Numbers

Anyone searching for information about the minneapolis shooting may encounter apparently conflicting casualty figures.

Much of that comes from the timing and terminology of reports.

The City initially reported three deaths, including the suspected shooter, along with several injured civilians and officers.

Later investigative reporting clarified that Johnson fatally shot two residents and wounded five other people directly with gunfire: his former partner, two building employees and two police officers.

Other officers experienced separate injuries or medical effects during the overall emergency response.

The clearest way to understand the core toll is therefore:

The numbers should always be read with their definitions attached rather than comparing headlines alone.

Is This the Same as the Annunciation Church Shooting?

No.

Search results for “Minneapolis shooting” can surface more than one major incident, so dates and locations matter.

The Shoreline Plaza shooting occurred on September 2, 2026, in the Loring Park area of downtown Minneapolis.

A separate mass shooting occurred on August 27, 2025, at the Church of the Annunciation in south Minneapolis. In that earlier attack, a gunman fired through church windows during a school Mass, killing two children and injuring 17 other people, according to the City of Minneapolis.

These were separate incidents with different perpetrators, locations, victims and circumstances.

For current searches in September 2026, the recent Loring Park/Shoreline Plaza case is the incident dominating fresh reporting, particularly after the release of police body-camera footage.

What the Minneapolis Shooting Investigation Has Established So Far

As of September 18, 2026, the central sequence of events is considerably clearer than it was during the first hours after the attack.

Authorities say Carlton Neal Johnson II began the violence during a custody exchange, shooting and wounding his former partner before entering Shoreline Plaza. He then shot building employees, went to the ninth floor and killed residents Dale Henry Spry and Muse A. Afrah.

Minneapolis police entered the building within minutes. Johnson exchanged gunfire with officers on the ninth floor, wounding Joseph Michnowski and Yahye Ahmed before being fatally shot.

Court records and subsequent reporting have also established that serious allegations preceded the attack, including threats, an eviction dispute, a restraining-order request and an earlier police investigation involving a firearm. Investigators and public officials continue to face questions about how those warning signs were handled.

The release of body-camera footage has added important evidence about the police confrontation, but it does not close every question surrounding the case. Investigators still have to complete the formal review of the officer-involved shooting and determine unresolved details about Johnson’s actions and targets.

For readers following the minneapolis shooting, the most reliable picture comes from separating confirmed investigative findings from preliminary reports and claims that remain under review. The September 2 attack left two residents dead, several people wounded and a Minneapolis community confronting questions not only about what happened inside Shoreline Plaza, but also about the warnings that came before it.