Minneapolis is once again confronting the devastating consequences of violence after a deadly apartment shooting left two civilians dead, several others wounded, and three police officers injured. But as investigators piece together what happened, one question is becoming impossible to ignore: How many warning signs does it take before someone takes action?

Authorities identified the suspected gunman as 35-year-old Carlton Neal Johnson II, a resident of Shoreline Plaza who was already known to Minneapolis police.

His history at the building was troubling.

Johnson had reportedly accumulated 34 criminal cases in the Twin Cities, most involving traffic violations. But his record also included two domestic-assault cases and two misdemeanor drug cases.

In the months before Wednesday's shooting, the situation at Shoreline Plaza had apparently deteriorated further.

Building attorneys served Johnson with an eviction notice on June 16, citing six alleged lease violations between January and June. The accusations included assaulting another resident, displaying a firearm around the property, threatening people with a gun and telling residents he “would kill someone.”

Court records described additional incidents in which Johnson allegedly entered the management office while displaying a firearm, told residents he had obtained a new gun, flashed a weapon outside the building and threatened a security officer while lifting his shirt to show the firearm.

Johnson denied those accusations in court filings and maintained that he had a valid permit to carry a handgun.

But then came the warnings from people who lived around him.

Chris Miller, a Shoreline Plaza resident, told the Star Tribune that Johnson had said just days before the shooting that he intended to shoot his ex-girlfriend and two property managers.

“He said, ‘I’m going to shoot people,’” Miller recalled.

Miller also said Johnson showed him his handgun and carry permit, describing the man as “very, very, very angry, drunk and mad.”

Another witness reportedly encountered Johnson shortly before the shooting and said he grabbed her while declaring that he was going to “kill my baby mama.”

These are not vague rumors about someone being difficult or unpleasant. They are descriptions of specific threats involving a firearm.

And that makes Wednesday's bloodshed all the more disturbing.

Johnson's history of troubling behavior reportedly went back years. In a 2018 domestic incident, he was accused of assaulting a sibling and reportedly threatened that he had a gun and was “not afraid to shoot people in the face.”

Johnson ultimately pleaded guilty to destruction of property while denying the assault allegation. He served four days in jail and received probation. A judge reportedly remarked that he appeared to have “anger issues.”

Yet by September 2026, Johnson was still living at Shoreline Plaza while an eviction case was moving through the civil court system. A hearing was reportedly scheduled for September 11.

That part should not be complicated: when repeated threats involving firearms are documented, public safety cannot simply become an afterthought buried inside paperwork.

Wednesday's shooting brought the consequences into horrifying focus.

Police were dispatched to the downtown Minneapolis building and reached the scene in less than two minutes, according to authorities. Officers entered the building as visibility was severely impaired and exchanged gunfire with Johnson on an upper floor.

Two civilians were killed.

Five others suffered gunshot wounds, including two Minneapolis police officers. A third officer suffered a non-gunfire injury and was expected to recover.

Johnson was found dead at the scene. Some reports indicated that he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, though authorities initially said the exact circumstances remained under investigation.

Whatever the final determination, there is no ambiguity about the courage displayed by the officers who ran toward the gunfire.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz praised law enforcement and urged Minnesotans to pray.

“Grateful to law enforcement actively working to ensure the safety of our neighbors in Downtown Minneapolis this afternoon,” Walz wrote. “Minnesota is praying for our first responders.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey likewise said the “death toll would have been far higher” without the officers' actions.