Minnesota authorities have identified the people killed and injured in Wednesday’s shooting at a Minneapolis apartment building, where two residents died and two police officers were wounded by gunfire.
The civilians who died were Dale Henry Spry, 63, and Muse A. Afrah, 61, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said. Officials had earlier reported that one victim was pronounced dead at the scene, while the second later died at a hospital.
Investigators believe both victims lived in the apartment complex where 35-year-old Carlton Neal Johnson II allegedly opened fire before being fatally shot during an exchange with police. A preliminary autopsy found Johnson suffered multiple gunshot wounds, and authorities classified his death as a homicide.
The wounded Minneapolis Police Department officers were identified by the BCA as Joseph Michnowski, a five-year department veteran, and Yahye Ahmed, who has served for nearly two years.
The suspected gunman in the downtown Minneapolis, Minn., shooting was reportedly facing eviction from the apartment building. (Ellen Schmidt/AP)
Ahmed was discharged from the hospital Thursday, while Michnowski was still hospitalized as of Thursday afternoon, Interim Police Chief Bill Peterson said at a briefing.
Garrett Parten, a Minneapolis police public information officer, said one of the officers suffered an apparent gunshot wound to the leg that was not believed to be life-threatening. The other officer required surgery.
Parten also said a third officer connected to the response was evaluated for an apparent injury that was not considered life-threatening.
Officers investigate the aftermath of a shooting in Minneapolis Wednesday. (Ellen Schmidt/AP Photo)
Peterson identified the third officer as Ernest Boateng, but clarified that his injuries were not directly related to the gunfire. Boateng was cut by glass while breaking a window of a locked police vehicle whose sirens were going off, Peterson said.
Boateng was evaluated and released Wednesday.
The BCA said at least one officer discharged his firearm during the incident, identifying the officer as Liban Mohamed Ibrahim, a two-year MPD veteran.
“Investigators are continuing to determine whether any other officers fired their weapons,” BCA said.
Law enforcement responds to a shooting in Minneapolis Wednesday. (Ellen Schmidt/AP Photo)
Wednesday’s shooting began during a domestic child custody exchange involving a woman who previously had a relationship with Johnson, according to Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Johnson reportedly shot the woman outside the building before going inside the apartment, where he shot another facility worker. He then went to the ninth floor, where he shot two residents who later died.
He was also facing eviction from the apartment building, according to court records obtained by Fox9 Minneapolis.
Officials have not determined whether Johnson specifically targeted the victims.
