At that moment, Carlton Johnson shot and injured a woman believed to be the mother of his child, while the child was unharmed. Subsequently, Johnson shot two building employees and took an elevator to the ninth floor. Once on that floor, the assailant killed two residents before the police killed him, with it unclear whether he was directly targeting the residents or just encountered them in the hallway.
Dramatic videos released on Wednesday by the City of Minneapolis showed the moment when two Minneapolis officers were shot after rushing up to a higher floor chasing Johnson, who had killed two people and injured three others. The footage shows Carlton Johnson emerging from behind a corner and pulling out a gun as the officers appeared to be checking on a victim in an adjacent hallway.
Subsequently, Johnson and Officer Yahye Ahmed, armed with a rifle, exchanged gunfire while Officer Joseph Michnowski ran for cover. After running down a hallway past a person on the floor, Michnowski radioed, "I got a couple shots,". Shortly after, more shots were heard from Ahmed as he was at the stairwell entrance of the floor, where he was also injured. Yellow smoke filled the doorway, and the officers ran back downstairs.
The events have brought to light previous incidents involving the assailant in the same building. According to building residents, court documents, and law enforcement, Johnson had threatened neighbors, repeatedly displayed his gun, and warned that he planned to shoot people. Court documents indicated that Johnson was facing eviction, and the building owners were attempting to remove him, having threatened another neighbor with a gun in the months prior. Additionally, at least one person had requested a restraining order against him. Despite being investigated by the police in June for displaying a weapon, the county prosecutor's office decided not to press charges.