(ABC 6 News) — The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehensions and Minneapolis Police Department held press conferences on Thursday to give updates on Wednesday’s shooting that left three people dead and injured others, including multiple police officers.
During the press conference, the BCA announced it is investigating the use of force by Minneapolis police officers, although the extent of that force is still unclear.
The suspect died, apparently in an exchange of gunfire with police, according to the BCA.
The BCA identified the suspected shooter as 35-year-old Carlton Neal Johnson II. According to a preliminary autopsy, Johnson died of multiple gunshot wounds, and the manner of death was ruled homicide. He was reportedly evicted from the apartment on Wednesday.
The two civilians who were killed in the shooting were identified as 63-year-old Dale Henry Spry and 61-year-old Muse A. Afrah. The BCA believes both were residents of the apartment complex where the shooting occurred.
The two Minneapolis police officers who were shot and injured were identified as Officer Joseph Michnowski, who has been with the department since 2021, and Officer Yahye Ahmed, who has been with the department since November 2024.
Officer Liban Mohamed Ibrahim, who has been with MPD since September 2024, was identified as an officer who shot his gun during the incident. The BCA is continuing to investigate whether other officers fired their weapons.
A third officer was injured by glass when he had to break a locked squad car’s window to turn its siren off, Interim Police Chief Bill Peterson said on Thursday. Almost 160 officers responded to the scene, he added.
What we know
Law enforcement says three people have died, including the suspected shooter, in the shooting. At least six people were shot, including two Minneapolis police officers.
Related: 3 dead, multiple others shot, including 2 officers, in downtown Minneapolis
A third police officer suffered non-gunshot injuries while responding to the shooting.
One of the police officers shot was hit in the stomach and was in stable condition as of Wednesday evening. The other officer who was shot sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Officers responded to the shooting at around 4:36 p.m. at the Shoreline Plaza apartment building, previously known as Loring Towers, and when they arrived, they found multiple victims and heard additional gunfire from the upper floors.
The scene outside of HCMC on Wednesday evening. (KSTP-TV)
As officers followed the sounds of gunshots to the upper floor, visibility became limited due to haze in the air, and that is when the two officers were shot.
Four people were found suffering from gunshot wounds; one person died at the apartment building and another died at the hospital, MPD said. The two others who were injured are currently in the hospital.
It’s unclear how the third officer was injured, but Minneapolis Police Interim Chief Bill Peterson said he expects them to make a full recovery.
Some residents began returning to Shoreline Plaza Thursday as cleanup continued with all but the ninth floor being reopened. However, some residents can’t yet return due to damage from the shooting.
A witness told ABC 6 News’ sister station, KSTP, the shooting took place in an elevator in the apartment complex.