The two people killed in a mass shooting at a downtown Minneapolis apartment complex were identified by officials Thursdy as the gunman’s neighbors.
Shoreline Plaza residents Dale Spry, 63, and Muse Afrah, 61, were killed by Carlton Johnson II, who was reportedly facing eviction from his apartment, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Spry served in the US Marines and experienced PTSD after his military service, his estranged daughter Sarah Parsons told the Minnesota Star Tribune.
“I’m still trying to process [his death],” Parsons, 39, said.
The mother of Spry’s children, whom he separated from around 35 years ago, said “it’s shocking” to hear of his death.
“Nobody deserves to die like that,” Vicki Parsons told the Tribune.
Johnson, 35, was reportedly killed during an exchange of gunfire with cops, according to BCA Superintendent Drew Evans.
A preliminary autopsy revealed Johnson died of “multiple gunshot wounds,” the bureau said.
Bullets first flew following a child custody exchange involving Johnson and a woman he had a relationship with outside Shoreline Plaza Wednesday afternoon, according to Evans.
Johnson shot the woman in the leg and then entered the apartment building where he struck two building employees — including one in close range.
The child was unharmed in deadly rampage, apart from the “obvious trauma” of witnessing the shooting, Evans said.
The gunman then took an elevator up to the ninth floor, where he had been previously living in an apartment by himself, and gunned down Spry and Afrah.
Investigators “cannot say for sure” whether the two men killed were specifically targeted in the shootout, the superintendent added.
Officers Joseph Michnowski and Yayhe Ahmed sustained gunshot wounds amid the carnage and are in stable condition.
A third cop, identified as Ernest Boateng, was cut by glass.
Prior to the deadly spree — which injured six people — Johnson allegedly told residents he would “kill someone” and threatened to gun down his ex-girlfriend.
At Shoreline Plaza, Johnson clashed with residents and allegedly assaulted one person and showed off his gun in several incidents this year, the Tribune reported.
He was slapped with an eviction notice and faced a hearing on Sept. 11.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty revealed Thursday that a case was submitted to her office by the Minneapolis Police Department on Aug. 20 for potential criminal charges against Johnson, according to the Tribune.
The case related to an incident on June 25 where Johnson reportedly threatened a building resident and brandished a firearm.
The case, however, was not prosecuted after the County Attorney’s Office reviewed the matter and determined there was likely “insufficient evidence to prove a charge beyond a reasonable doubt,” Moriarty said in a statement.
One day after the criminal investigation was submitted to Morarity’s office, the resident filed a petition for a harassment restraining order against Johnson.
“I’m afraid to enter and exit my apartment for fear of my safety and wellbeing,” the neighbor wrote.
Johnson’s conduct was also flagged for an Extreme Risk Protection Order which would have required he hand over his guns — but additional evidence review found insufficient evidence to file the ERPO.
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