The man accused of fatally shooting two people at a Minneapolis apartment building on Wednesday had been facing eviction and had allegedly frightened residents with violent threats in the months leading up to the attack.
Carlton Johnson II, 35, had been ordered in June to leave his ninth-floor apartment at Loring Towers, though he was contesting the eviction, according to court records obtained by the Daily Mail.
Those filings also outline a troubling pattern of alleged misconduct, including claims that Johnson attacked another person living in the building.
Months before gunfire erupted inside the Minneapolis complex, Johnson had also allegedly threatened to kill someone, the documents state.
Property managers said Johnson’s behavior began escalating in January, when he allegedly caused a disturbance during a loud confrontation and repeatedly banged on a neighbor’s door.
Then on March 23, Johnson assaulted a resident on the premises of the affordable housing complex and by June he started openly carrying a gun.
The final straw apparently came on June 11, when Johnson was seen walking around the complex with his firearm and entered the management office, where he allegedly waved the gun in front of multiple management personnel, the complaint reads.
That same day, Johnson allegedly told other residents that he obtained a new gun and ‘would kill someone.’
Two days later, Johnson was also seen flashing his gun to others on the sidewalk.
Carlton Johnson II, 35, was being evacuated before he opened fire at the Loring Towers in downtown Minneapolis on Wednesday
Police rushed to the scene after receiving a call at 4.36pm that someone was shot
Two people were killed in the mass shooting, and four others were injured
Photos from the scene show a massive police presence, as other emergency officials arrived
But after receiving the eviction order, Johnson told property managers he would comply with the lease agreement moving forward, and the landlord allowed him to stay so long as he agreed to no longer display his gun or any other weapon.
Johnson, who died at the scene of the shooting on Wednesday, was due to appear in court for an eviction proceeding on September 11.
A motive for the shooting remained unclear, though Minneapolis police said they were ‘familiar’ with the suspect.
Shoreline Plaza resident Chris Miller told the Minneapolis Star Tribune the suspect told him earlier in the week how he planned to shoot his ex-girlfriend and two building property managers.
He further claimed he emailed building management, warning them of Johnson’s remarks just days before the tragedy.
Miller went on to explain how he first met Johnson when Miller moved into the building a couple of months ago, and that on a couple of occasions, he showed Miller his handgun and his concealed carry permit.
Miller also noted that the gunman lived alone and had at least a couple of kids who did not live with him, but was mad about a recent breakup.
‘He was very, very angry, drunk and mad,’ said Miller.
Police said Wednesday night that they were ‘familiar’ with the suspect
Officers who responded to the scene found a ‘haze’ that limited visibility
Police swarmed the downtown area following the mass shooting on Wednesday
Derrick Thompson, who had just moved out of the complex, also told the outlet how he would regularly see Johnson outside drinking.
He said the suspect was involved in a child custody dispute, and his car was recently repossessed.
‘He was fighting people every day, every damn day,’ Thompson lamented. ‘He lost everything.’
Then just moments before the shooting, another resident claims, Johnson said he was going to kill the mother of his child.
The unidentified woman told Fox 6 she was taking her young daughter to get some food when she encountered the gunman on the ninth floor.
‘I was already in the building when he grabbed me and said, “I’m going to kill my baby mama and you’re going to witness it,” and I’m like, “Let me go and quit playing with me,”‘ she recounted.
Johnson then decided to let go of her, saying: ‘You know what, I’m [going to] let you go for the simple fact that you don’t deserve this. You always pray for me. You always keep me uplifted.’
Still, the woman said, he vowed to kill the mother of his child ‘and I said “quit playing.”‘
‘Next thing you know, I come back, we can’t get in the building. He did it.’
Residents at the affordable housing complex were evacuated from the building
Minneapolis police first received a call at 4.36pm that one person had been shot at Loring Towers, spokesman Sgt Garrett Parten said at a news conference.
Soon, other calls came in reporting additional gunfire.
When police then arrived at the scene at 4.39pm, they found one victim dead and several others suffering from gunshot wounds.
Police then followed the sound of gunfire to an upper floor, where they were confronted by a ‘haze’ that severely limited their visibility as officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect.
Two officers were shot in the exchange, one in the stomach and the other in the leg, while a third sustained a non-life threatening injury. They were all expected to make full recoveries.
The suspect was then killed at the scene, but it remains unclear whether he died in a police-involved shooting or turned the weapon on himself.
Meanwhile, officers went unit by unit evacuating residents and searching for any other victims.
In total, seven patients were rushed to Hennepin County Medical Center, one of whom was later pronounced dead, spokesman Jonathan Comito said.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey commended the police officers for their heroism
At a news conference Wednesday night, Interim Police Chief Bill Peterson said he was ‘sickened’ by the tragedy.
‘It’s truly sickening that in my career, 31 years here, that is the third incident like this that has happened,’ he said.
‘But our officers have shown that they are willing and they do respond towards gunfire when others are running from it, and it’s absolutely heroic.’
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also commended the police officers, saying if it was not for their ‘heroic work, the death toll would be higher.’
The Minneapolis Police Department and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension are now continuing to investigate the tragedy.
