Minnesota officials have identified the two civilians killed and the two Minneapolis police officers injured in a shooting incident that occurred Wednesday. The deceased civilians were identified as Dale Henry Spry, 63, and Muse A. Afrah, 61, both residents of the apartment complex where the shooting took place.
Carlton Neal Johnson II, 35, the suspected gunman, was fatally struck during an exchange of gunfire with police. A preliminary autopsy indicated Johnson died from multiple gunshot wounds, and his death has been ruled a homicide.
The injured officers are Joseph Michnowski, a five-year veteran of the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD), and Yahye Ahmed, who has been with the department for nearly two years. Ahmed was released from the hospital Thursday, while Michnowski remained hospitalized. Interim Police Chief Bill Peterson stated that one officer sustained an apparent non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the leg, while the other underwent surgery. Another officer, Ernest Boateng, was evaluated for an apparent non-life-threatening injury after being cut by glass while breaking a window of a locked police vehicle. Boateng was evaluated and released Wednesday.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) stated that at least one officer, Liban Mohamed Ibrahim, a two-year MPD veteran, discharged his firearm during the incident. Investigators are still determining if other officers fired their weapons.
According to BCA Superintendent Drew Evans, the shooting began during a domestic child custody exchange involving a woman who had a prior relationship with Johnson. Johnson reportedly shot the woman outside the building before entering and shooting a facility worker. He then proceeded to the ninth floor, where he shot the two residents who later died.
Court records obtained by Fox9 Minneapolis indicated that Johnson was facing eviction from the apartment building. Officials have not yet determined if the victims were specifically targeted by the gunman.