Incident: Wednesday, September 2, 2026, 4:36 p.m. CDT, Shoreline Plaza, 15 East Grant Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Reported by the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department. Updated Friday, September 4, 2026, with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension identifications and the medical examiner’s findings released September 3.
Two Minneapolis police officers were shot and nine MPD officers were injured in all Wednesday afternoon after officers responded to an active shooter inside Shoreline Plaza, the downtown high-rise formerly known as Loring Towers at 15 East Grant Street in the Loring Park area, according to the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department.
Two civilians were killed, one at the building and one at Hennepin County Medical Center, the city said. The BCA identified them Thursday as Muse Afrah, 61, and Dale Henry Spry, 63, both residents of the building. Three other civilians were shot and were being treated at the hospital. The suspected shooter, a resident of the building, was found dead at the scene.
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The 911 call came in at 4:36 p.m. reporting shots fired inside the building. Officers entered, found multiple victims in the lobby and heard more gunfire on an upper floor, according to the city. On that floor they encountered what the city described as a haze from an unknown airborne substance. FOX 9 reported that officers exchanged gunfire with the shooter on the ninth floor.
The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension settled the officer count Thursday. Two officers were shot. One was hit twice in the stomach, underwent surgery and was still hospitalized Thursday afternoon. The other was shot in the leg and has been released from the hospital. Both are expected to recover. A third officer was injured by glass after smashing the window of a locked squad car at the scene to disable its siren — not by gunfire. Four additional officers experienced adverse effects after exposure to the unknown airborne substance, and two more were injured when their squad car crashed while responding, the city said. Interim Police Chief Bill Peterson said he expects all of the injured officers to make a full recovery.
Assisting agencies included the Minnesota State Patrol, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, the Minneapolis Park Police, transit police, the University of Minnesota Police Department, the St. Paul Police Department and the Maple Grove, Plymouth, Edina, St. Louis Park and Brooklyn Park police departments, according to the city. The FBI and ATF also assisted at the scene. FBI Director Kash Patel said Wednesday the bureau would offer any resources necessary to assist local authorities.
MPD initially declined to name the suspect and said only that he was known to police. The BCA identified him Thursday as Carlton Neal Johnson II, 35, a resident of the ninth floor. A preliminary autopsy by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner gives his cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of death as homicide. The BCA said one officer discharged a firearm during the response and that investigators are still working to determine whether any other officers fired. Officials declined to discuss motive.
Johnson was in eviction proceedings at the building. The eviction letter filed in that case, reported by the Star Tribune and AlphaNews, alleges he assaulted a resident on the premises on March 23, walked the property on June 11 with a firearm openly displayed and showed it inside the management office, told other residents he had obtained a new gun and would kill someone, and flashed the gun to people on the sidewalk outside on June 13. The case had a hearing July 23, was continued to August 6, and had its next hearing scheduled for September 11. The eviction was still pending at the time of the shooting. AlphaNews reported that a search of jail and court records did not reveal any apparent arrests or charges tied to the incidents described in the letter. A resident told the Star Tribune that in the days before the shooting Johnson said he would shoot his ex-girlfriend and two of the building’s property managers.
Peterson said in a statement: “I want to express my sincere gratitude and my pride in the officers who responded without hesitation and heroically placed themselves between a violent shooter and those he intended to harm.” Speaking Thursday, he said: “It is nothing short of heroic. Our officers go through tons and tons of training.”
Mayor Jacob Frey said officers “quickly moved from unit to unit to assist anyone who needed help” and “rescued victims, brought people to safety, helped get approximately four people to the hospital, all while getting shot at themselves.”
Central Lutheran Church at 333 South 12th Street was set up as a reunification site for residents of the building. The American Red Cross established a shelter near the scene and the Salvation Army provided food.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is leading the investigation, and KSTP reported the BCA is investigating the incident as a use of force. BCA Superintendent Drew Evans released the identifications Thursday. Still not released: a description of the weapons recovered and an identification of the airborne substance.
This is a developing story, updated September 4, 2026. Sources: City of Minneapolis and Minneapolis Police Department; Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension; Hennepin County Medical Examiner; FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul; KSTP 5 Eyewitness News; CBS News Minnesota; Star Tribune; Minnesota Public Radio; AlphaNews; Bring Me The News.
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