A 35-year-old tenant facing eviction has been identified in reports as the suspected shooter behind a deadly attack at a downtown Minneapolis apartment building, where two people were killed and three police officers were wounded.
According to Fox9 Minneapolis, sources named the man as Carlton Neal Johnson II. The outlet reported that Johnson, who also died during the incident, had been living at the Shoreline Plaza apartment complex since March 2025.
Eviction documents reviewed by Fox9 Minneapolis reportedly show that Johnson was being removed from the property over prior alleged threats.
Those court records alleged that Johnson attacked another resident at the complex in March. They also claimed that, in mid-June, he moved through the property with a gun openly visible before going into the management office, where he displayed the weapon in front of several staff members, the station reported.
Police respond to a shooting on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in downtown Minneapolis. (Ellen Schmidt/AP)
Johnson was also accused of telling residents he had acquired a new firearm and that he “would kill someone,” according to the Fox9 Minneapolis report.
In the eviction case, however, Johnson reportedly rejected the accusations. A hearing in the matter had been scheduled for September 11.
Interim Minneapolis Police Chief Bill Peterson said investigators were “familiar with who this individual was,” but authorities had not publicly disclosed a motive for Wednesday’s shooting, The Minnesota Star Tribune reported.
The newspaper reported that Johnson was linked to 34 criminal cases in the Twin Cities. It described most of the cases as traffic violations, but added that Johnson previously was charged in two assaults and two misdemeanor drug cases.
Johnson also pled guilty in 2012 to violating a contact order in a domestic abuse case, The Minnesota Star Tribune reported.
The shooting in downtown Minneapolis left three people dead, including the suspected gunman. (Ellen Schmidt/AP)
News Outlet has reached out to the Minneapolis Police Department for comment.
Minneapolis Police Department Sgt. Garrett Parten said at a news conference on Wednesday that it’s unclear how the suspected gunman died.
“Initial information indicated that one person had been shot, and additional 911 callers reported hearing further gunfire. Officers began arriving at approximately 4:39 p.m. and entered the high-rise apartment building,” Parten said. “Inside, officers encountered victims and heard additional gunfire. Officers followed the sound of gunfire to the upper floor of the building and on that floor, officers encountered a haze that significantly limited their visibility. Three officers were injured, two of those by gunfire.”
The suspected gunman in the shooting in downtown Minneapolis, Minn., reportedly was facing eviction from the apartment building. (Ellen Schmidt/AP)
Officers were shot in the shin and abdomen, sources told Fox News.
