Carlton Johnson II, 35, is suspected of fatally shooting two people and wounding at least five others, including three police officers, at the Shoreline Plaza apartment complex in Minneapolis on Wednesday, before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Records show Johnson had repeatedly threatened residents and faced eviction proceedings in the months before the shooting.
New details are emerging about the man suspected of carrying out a deadly shooting rampage at his own Minneapolis apartment complex — and the warning signs, according to records and neighbors, had been building for months.
What Happened
The shooting occurred just before 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Shoreline Plaza. Derrick Thompson, who had recently moved out of the building, told the Minnesota Star Tribune he was at the complex collecting his mail when he heard a woman screaming. “It wasn’t long before all hell broke loose,” he said.
According to a Minneapolis Police release, multiple victims were found in the apartment building’s lobby before officers heard additional gunfire. Police then made their way to an upper floor, where they “encountered a haze.”
Two people died in the attack — one after being rushed to Hennepin County Medical Center, and another pronounced dead at the scene. At least five other people were injured, including three police officers. The victims have not been publicly identified.
Multiple law enforcement sources identified the suspected shooter as 35-year-old Carlton Johnson II. Police have not formally named him as the perpetrator, but sources with knowledge of the investigation confirmed his identity to reporters. Sources told WCCO that Johnson died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police have not revealed a motive for the shooting.
Warning Signs in the Days Before
Neighbors say Johnson had seemingly been building toward some kind of violent outburst in the days leading up to the shooting. Chris Miller, who had lived near Johnson for a few months, recalled a conversation from either the Sunday or Monday before the attack in which Johnson threatened to shoot his ex-girlfriend and two property managers.
“He said, ‘I’m going to shoot people,'” Miller told the Star Tribune. “He was very, very angry, drunk and mad.”
Thompson described Johnson as someone who had been “fighting people every day, every damn day” in recent months. He said Johnson had remained social with neighbors despite his struggles, but had “lost everything” — Johnson was reportedly in the middle of a child custody dispute, and his car had recently been repossessed.
A Pattern Documented in Eviction Records
Records show Johnson had clashed repeatedly with residents and management at Shoreline Plaza. On June 16, he received formal notice that his lease was being terminated effective June 29. The termination letter, sent by the property’s legal team, outlined seven separate incidents between January and June in which Johnson allegedly violated his lease terms.
According to the letter, Johnson disturbed the peace on January 16 by arguing with residents and pounding on a neighbor’s door. On February 19, he allegedly let a visitor into the building without following sign-in procedures. On March 23, he allegedly assaulted a resident, though the letter did not detail the incident further.
By June, according to the letter, Johnson had begun openly displaying a firearm, boasting about the weapon, and telling residents he would “kill someone.”
Johnson was warned he would face legal action if he remained in the building past noon on June 29. His eviction trial was originally scheduled for August before being moved to September 11 — just nine days after Wednesday’s shooting. It’s unclear why the trial date was changed.
A Documented History
Court records show this wasn’t Johnson’s first brush with allegations of violence. In 2012, he violated a contact order tied to a domestic abuse case and was placed on probation.
In 2018, he was charged with domestic assault after his sister alleged he threw her around her home during a drunken rage, causing her to hit furniture. According to court documents reviewed by the Star Tribune, Johnson told her at the time that he was “not afraid to shoot people in the face.”
That domestic assault charge was later dropped after Johnson pleaded to a misdemeanor property damage charge instead. He received a 90-day jail sentence, though 86 of those days were stayed.
Investigation Ongoing
Police have not formally confirmed Johnson’s identity as the shooter, and the investigation into Wednesday’s attack remains active. Authorities have not released additional information about the victims or a motive for the shooting.
