Downtown Minneapolis Hit by Deadly Shooting: Two Dead, Multiple Officers Wounded Near Nicollet and Grant
Wertynews.com – A violent episode unfolded Wednesday afternoon at a high-rise apartment complex near 15 East Grant Street, leaving two people dead and at least five others wounded — three of them Minneapolis police officers. The suspected gunman, identified by multiple law enforcement sources as 35-year-old Carlton Neal Johnson, was also killed, dying from what witnesses described as a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The intersection of Nicollet Avenue and Grant Street sits in the heart of Minneapolis’s commercial core, adjacent to major retail destinations and transit corridors. A shooting of this scale in that location triggered an immediate, multi-agency response that transformed the surrounding blocks into a heavily secured perimeter within minutes.
Timeline of the Response
Dispatch records show officers were sent to the scene at 4:36 p.m. They arrived within two minutes of the first 911 call, finding one individual already shot inside the apartment structure. Minneapolis Police Public Information Officer Garrett Parten explained that officers entered the building by following the sound of additional gunshots upward through the floors.
Upon reaching an upper-level floor, Parten said the responding officers “encounted a haze that significantly limited their visibility,” a condition that compounded the danger of the environment. It was on that floor that the exchange of gunfire produced injuries among the responding team.
Officer Injuries
Three officers sustained gunshot wounds. One was struck twice in the abdomen and underwent surgery Wednesday evening. A second officer took a round to the leg. The third was being evaluated for what was described as a non-life-threatening wound.
Beyond the direct gunfire, four additional officers reported “adverse effects after being exposed to an unknown airborne substance” at the scene. Two more officers were hurt when a squad vehicle crashed on Nicollet Avenue outside a Target store while en route to the call.
Civilian Casualties
Four civilians were transported to a nearby hospital; one of them died there. A fifth civilian was fatally shot at the scene itself. City officials confirmed the two deaths but indicated the full toll of injuries could rise as patients were assessed.
Extraordinary Show of Force Surrounds the Scene
The scale of the response stretched well beyond the Minneapolis Police Department. Officers carrying long guns maintained a sustained watch on the apartment complex for an extended period after the initial standoff. Two heavily armored SWAT vehicles were positioned at the Nicollet-Grant intersection, while ambulances lined both the immediate vicinity and the block stretching toward downtown.
Personnel and vehicles poured in from St. Louis Park, Edina, the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota State Patrol, transit police, and sheriff’s deputies from surrounding jurisdictions. The ATF field division out of St. Paul confirmed that special agents reached the scene, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension opened its own investigative track.
FBI Director Kash Patel stated publicly that he was aware of the incident and pledged to provide “any and all resources necessary to assist local authorities.”
State and City Leaders React
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz addressed the officer injuries directly, saying all involved are “expected to make a full recovery.”
Attorney General Keith Ellison labeled the shooting “horrifying” and offered a statement of solidarity:
“My deepest thoughts are with those killed and hurt, including the police officers injured. I pray for their quick recovery. I fully support responding law enforcement and my office will help in all the ways possible.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, speaking at a late-evening press conference, praised the responding officers for what he called a “heroic” effort under fire.
“They rescued victims, brought people to safety, helped get approximately four people to the hospital, all while getting shot at themselves. We’re all standing with the victims and families impacted by this senseless act.”
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said her office is coordinating with the Minneapolis Police Department and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to assemble the full picture of events and urged anyone with information to reach out to law enforcement or the county attorney’s office.
Suspect Background: Eviction, Threats, and a Prior Conviction
Interim Minneapolis Police Chief Bill Peterson told reporters Wednesday night that the department was familiar with the suspect, though he declined to name him publicly at that point. Sources later identified him as Carlton Neal Johnson.
Court documents reveal that Johnson had been evicted from his apartment earlier that same Wednesday. The eviction followed a pattern of gun-related threats documented over the preceding weeks. On June 19, he allegedly made verbal threats about using a firearm and displayed a gun to a building security officer. Days later, he reportedly threatened another resident with a gun and was seen walking around the block with a visible firearm.
Records also show a prior conviction for domestic violence. Witnesses at the Wednesday scene described hearing gunshots inside the building before officers arrived.
A Recurring Pattern at the Building
This marks at least the second fatal shooting inside the same apartment complex in under twelve months. Late last September, a man shot and killed two other men within the building. That shooter was arrested, and police indicated all three men involved had known one another. The recurrence of lethal violence at the same address has drawn renewed scrutiny to building-level safety protocols and tenant-landlord dispute resolution in Minneapolis’s dense residential corridors.
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