Downtown Minneapolis shooting leaves 3 dead, 6 injured including 3 officers

A shooting inside a downtown Minneapolis apartment building left two civilians and the suspected gunman dead on Wednesday, while six other people were injured, including three Minneapolis police officers. Authorities said officers entered the building within minutes of the first 911 call and moved toward continuing gunfire on an upper floor despite severely limited visibility.

The incident unfolded at 15 E. Grant St., near the Minneapolis Convention Center, shortly after 4:30 p.m. The City of Minneapolis initially confirmed that multiple victims and two officers had been shot, before officials later said two civilians had died and the suspected shooter was also dead.

The short answer: Police say three people died in the downtown Minneapolis shooting, including the suspected gunman. Five people were wounded by gunfire, including two officers, while a third officer suffered another injury. All three officers were reported in stable condition and expected to recover.

Minneapolis shooting facts at a glance

Detail	Current information
Location	15 E. Grant St., downtown Minneapolis
First 911 call	Just after 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 2
Deaths	2 civilian victims plus the suspected gunman
Injured	6 people, including 3 Minneapolis police officers
Officers shot	2
Public threat	Authorities said the immediate threat had ended
Suspect identity	Reported by multiple outlets as 35-year-old Carlton Neal Johnson II
Motive	Not publicly established

What happened inside the apartment building?

Police were dispatched at 4:36 p.m. and were inside the building less than two minutes after the first emergency call, according to Minneapolis officials. Officers quickly found victims, then heard more gunfire and moved toward it on a higher floor.

Interim Police Chief Bill Peterson said officers encountered a haze that significantly limited what they could see. The Associated Press reported that one officer was shot in the leg and another was shot twice in the abdomen. A third officer suffered another injury. Hennepin County Medical Center said the injured officers were stable.

One civilian victim died at the scene and another died after being taken to the hospital. Five people in total were wounded by gunfire, including the two officers, while the sixth injured person was the third officer with a non-gunfire injury.

Who is the suspected shooter?

Police did not publicly identify the suspected shooter during the initial news conference, but multiple local outlets later identified him as 35-year-old Carlton Neal Johnson II. FOX 9 also reported the name after speaking with sources.

FOX 9 reported that authorities were already familiar with the suspected shooter, while police said the investigation into his background and the shooting was continuing.

KSTP reported that court records showed Johnson had been evicted from Loring Towers after alleged threats involving a gun. CBS Minnesota similarly reported that the eviction followed incidents in which he allegedly threatened people while displaying a firearm. Authorities had not established a motive for Wednesday’s shooting at the time of publication.

How did the suspected gunman die?

Authorities confirmed that the suspected gunman was found dead, but the exact circumstances were not immediately settled in the first official briefing. The Associated Press reported that police had not yet determined how he died.

CBS Minnesota later reported, citing law-enforcement sources, that the death was believed to be self-inflicted. Because that detail was source-based rather than part of the initial official account, it should be treated as reported information until authorities release a final determination.

Police response drew agencies from across the region

The shooting triggered a large emergency response around the Grant Street high-rise and nearby Loring Park area. Officers from multiple nearby jurisdictions assisted Minneapolis police, while state and federal agencies also responded.

• Minnesota State Patrol, transit police and sheriff’s deputies assisted at the scene.
• ATF special agents responded, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension joined the investigation.
• The FBI offered federal resources to local authorities.
• City officials asked residents to avoid the area while emergency crews worked.

CBS Minnesota documented the multi-agency response and the heavy police presence around the apartment complex.

What officials said about the injured officers

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said the injured Minneapolis officers were expected to make a full recovery. Mayor Jacob Frey praised officers for entering the building, rescuing victims and continuing to work while under fire.

The condition of the surviving civilian victims was not fully detailed in the first wave of public updates. Hennepin County Medical Center said it received seven patients connected to the shooting.

What remains under investigation

The most important unanswered question is motive. Police said they were familiar with the suspected shooter, and court records described earlier alleged threats involving guns, but investigators had not publicly connected those incidents to a specific motive for the Sept. 2 attack.

Investigators are also expected to reconstruct how the shooting unfolded inside the building, determine the full sequence of gunfire, and formally establish the gunman’s cause and manner of death. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is among the agencies involved in the investigation.

What readers should know now

The immediate threat was over by Wednesday night, but the investigation remains active. The core confirmed facts are that two civilians were killed, the suspected gunman also died, and six other people were injured, including three Minneapolis police officers.

Details about the suspected shooter’s identity, eviction history and reported cause of death developed after the initial police briefing. Those points should continue to be attributed until authorities release final investigative findings.