BCA names 2 residents killed, 2 officers injured in mass shooting that began during custody exchange

Minnesota law enforcement officials identified the two people who were killed when a gunman opened fire in a downtown Minneapolis apartment complex Wednesday, as well as two of the officers who were shot.

The two victims were identified as 61-year-old Muse Afrah and 63-year-old Dale Henry Spry. Both were residents of the Shoreline Plaza complex at 15 East Grant Street. 

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension identified the two injured Minneapolis police officers as Joseph Michnowski and Yahye Ahmed. 

Michnowski, who has been with MPD for five years, underwent surgery Wednesday after he was shot in the stomach. He's still hospitalized as of late Thursday afternoon, according to Interim Minneapolis Police Chief Bill Peterson. 

Ahmed, who joined Minneapolis police a year and a half ago, was shot in the leg. Both are expected to recover, and Ahmed has been released from the hospital.

A third officer was also injured by glass when he smashed the window of a locked squad car at the scene in order to disable its siren, according to Peterson.

The BCA said officer Liban Mohamed Ibrahim discharged his firearm during the incident. He's been with the department since September 2024. Investigators are determining whether any other officers fired their weapons. 

How the attack unfolded

The suspected gunman, 35-year-old Carlton Neal Johnson, died in an exchange of gunfire with police, according to Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner said a preliminary autopsy determined Johnson died of multiple gunshot wounds with manner of death being homicide. Evans didn't know who fired their weapon first.

The shooting transpired in two parts, Evans said. The first happened outside of the building, during a custody exchange of Johnson's child. The child was able to escape unscathed, according to Evans. Johnson shot the mother of his child and then entered the building, where he shot two employees on the first floor.

One of the employees is expected to recover, while the other, a woman, is in critical condition, according to Evans.

Johnson then took the elevator to the ninth floor, where he lived alone in an apartment. While on the ninth floor, he shot Afrah and Spry, Evans said.

There was "no indication" that he was targeting the employees or the two residents specifically, Evans said.

Responding officers ran up the stairs to the ninth floor and encountered Johnson in the hallway. Johnson, who had a legal permit to carry, at some point fired his handgun, according to Evans, who added that Ahmed fired his weapon at some point in the exchange. 

Responding to reports of a mysterious "haze" in the building during the chaos, Frey said it was likely due to an "exploded fire extinguisher."

According to court filings, Johnson was facing eviction at the apartment complex after flashing a gun to apartment management and assaulting a resident. Sources told WCCO that he had been evicted from his apartment earlier Wednesday.

An "extremely prompt response"

In a news conference Thursday afternoon, Peterson hailed his officers' "extremely prompt response" to the scene, with Mayor Jacob Frey noting it took them 2 minutes and 26 seconds to arrive at the scene following the first report of an active shooter.

Frey went on to say that the woman shot during the custody exchange "would not be alive right now" if it wasn't for officers quickly applying a tourniquet. 

"The level of heroism that took place yesterday is practically unrivaled," Frey said.

Evans says his agency will specifically investigate the officers' use of force.