Minneapolis apartment shooting leaves two dead and three police injured

Umecua Agnew was in her apartment building's elevator when gunfire erupted in the lobby. Seeing a young girl about to exit, Agnew grabbed the child by the back and pressed the button to send the elevator upward, shielding the girl from the shooter.

The gunfire echoed through the building as the elevator stopped on the third and fifth floors before finally reaching Agnew's apartment on the eighth. Agnew, who moved into the building in April, described locking her door and hiding in the bathroom while hearing what sounded like shots continuing in the hallway. She later suffered an anxiety attack and required emergency room care, according to Yahoo Noticias.

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The shooting at the Shoreline Plaza in downtown Minneapolis left two civilians dead and the gunman deceased on Wednesday, September 3, 2026. Three police officers were injured during the response, and several civilians were hospitalized, according to reports from La Opinión and the Chicago Tribune.

Police responded to the first 911 call at 4:36 p.m. Reporting a single person shot at 15 E Grant St. Within three minutes, officers entered the building and found victims in the lobby. As they followed the sound of gunfire to an upper floor, they encountered a chemical haze or mist that significantly limited visibility. Four officers suffered "adverse effects" and dizziness after inhaling the substance, which interim Police Chief Bill Peterson stated could have been smoke or another unknown substance, according to Yahoo Noticias and La Opinión.

The casualties include:

• Civilians: Two dead (one at the scene, one at Hennepin County Medical Center) and at least three others wounded by gunfire, some requiring immediate surgery.
• Police: Three injured. One officer was shot in the leg; another was shot twice in the abdomen and required surgery. A third sustained a non-life-threatening injury.
• Suspect: Deceased.

While Mayor Jacob Frey and Chief Peterson characterized the event as a "senseless" crime and praised the "heroic labor" of officers, residents described a gunman who was known to the community. Resident Chris Miller told Rpp that the suspect had expressed intentions to commit a violent attack days earlier. Another resident, Julius Bailey, told the Chicago Tribune that the gunman was known for "boasting" about his weapon. Miller further claimed he had reported seeing a person with a gun in the hallway to building management earlier that week.

Conflicting reports emerged regarding the gunman's motive. La Opinión identified the suspect as Carlton Johnson II and noted police had been called to the complex hours earlier to investigate a dispute involving a person in the process of eviction. Conversely, Antena 3 reported the incident began as a dispute between the attacker and an ex-partner, leading the man to threaten building security before opening fire.

The Shoreline Plaza, formerly known as Loring Towers, has a documented history of violence in the Loring Park neighborhood. According to RPP, the building was the site of a double homicide in September 2025 and a suspicious death in 2020. City crime records show seven assaults with dangerous weapons, a vehicle theft, and multiple burglaries on that specific block since June 2025.

The response involved a massive deployment of SWAT teams, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The University of St. Thomas Minneapolis campus issued a precautionary shelter-in-place order. Governor Tim Walz stated that the three injured officers are expected to make a full recovery.

Authorities are now working to confirm the official identity of the gunman and determine the exact cause of his death, with preliminary police sources suggesting a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Response and Medical Casualties

The scale of the medical emergency was confirmed by Hennepin Healthcare, which reported receiving seven patients following the attack, according to La Opinión and El Nuevo Día. While three civilians required immediate surgery due to gunshot wounds, the police casualties included an officer shot twice in the abdomen and another hit in the leg. A third officer sustained a non-life-threatening injury. According to the Chicago Tribune, all three officers were in stable condition.

The police operation faced complications beyond the gunman. While four officers suffered dizziness and other adverse effects from the unknown haze on an upper floor, Antena 3 reported that two additional officers were injured in a traffic accident while responding to the scene.

Witnesses described a scene of extreme chaos. Resident Julius Bailey told the Chicago Tribune he heard eight shots and saw a man he recognized from the building holding a pistol. Another witness, Derrick Thompson, reported hearing a woman screaming from the ninth floor just before another resident ran out to warn others about a shooting victim. To manage the aftermath, city authorities established a reunification space for affected families, according to Radio Agricultura.

The investigation now centers on the specifics of the attacker's death and his prior interactions with the community. While preliminary police sources cited by Yahoo Noticias suggest a self-inflicted wound, the official cause remains unconfirmed.