The gunman who killed two people and injured four others at the Loring Towers apartment complex in downtown Minneapolis had been facing eviction and had repeatedly threatened neighbours and staff in the months before the attack, according to court documents and witness accounts. Carlton Johnson II, 35, was identified as the shooter and died at the scene on Wednesday; his violent history, including an assault on a resident and multiple incidents of brandishing a firearm, raises questions about whether the attack could have been prevented.

Court documents show Johnson's troubling behaviour began in January with a loud disturbance, escalated to an assault on a fellow resident in March, and by June saw him openly carrying a gun and waving it in the management office, prompting an eviction order he was contesting. Neighbours told local media that Johnson, who was dealing with a recent breakup, a child custody dispute and a repossessed car, had voiced specific threats to shoot his ex-girlfriend and building managers, and one resident said he grabbed her on the ninth floor shortly before the shooting, threatening to kill "his baby mama" in front of her. He had been due to appear in court over the eviction on 11 September, and police said they were already "familiar" with him, though a motive has not been confirmed.