Folks, I almost spilled my coffee reading this one. A shooting in a Minneapolis apartment building has left two people dead, along with the shooter, and five others injured. The shooter, Carlton Johnson, was facing eviction and had a history of displaying a handgun, but wasn’t charged in June after an investigation. I mean, what’s the deal with that? You’d think that would be a big red flag, but I guess not. Bless their hearts for trying to figure it out after the fact.
The shooting started outside the building’s entrance during a custody handoff, where Johnson shot and wounded a woman believed to be the mother of his child. The child, thankfully, was not injured. Then, Johnson shot two building employees and took an elevator to the 9th floor, where he killed two building residents before being killed in an exchange of fire with police. It’s just a terrible situation all around.
According to Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the shooting is a classic case of domestic violence gone horribly wrong. “This is once again a situation where domestic violence is central to a really terrible situation,” he told reporters. You can’t make this stuff up, folks. It’s just heartbreaking.
The investigation is still ongoing, but it’s clear that Johnson had a history of problems. He had threatened a fellow resident with a gun in the months leading up to the shooting, and had been displaying a handgun in June, but wasn’t charged due to insufficient evidence. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said that the office decided not to file charges because there was “insufficient evidence to prove a charge beyond a reasonable doubt.” Okay, I get it, but it’s hard not to wonder what might have been if things had been handled differently.
The five wounded included two Minneapolis police officers hit by gunfire and another officer who suffered injuries elsewhere during the operation. All three officers are expected to make full recoveries, thank goodness. One officer was shot in the leg, and another was shot twice in the abdomen. It’s just a miracle that more people weren’t hurt.
As the investigation continues, residents of the apartment building are still trying to process what happened. Some reported that Johnson was known to be belligerent and had shown off his weapon before. One resident, Julius Bailey, said he heard gunshots and saw Johnson holding a pistol. Bailey immediately started running and counted eight shots as he headed for safety. Another resident, Chris Miller, reported that he had encountered Johnson in the hallway with a handgun earlier in the week and had reported it to management.
In conclusion, this is just a terrible tragedy all around. Two people are dead, and many more are injured, all because of one person’s actions. It’s a reminder that domestic violence is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. And let’s be real, folks, if someone is waving a gun around and threatening people, maybe we should do something about it before it’s too late. As I always say, you can’t make this stuff up, but sometimes I wish you could. 🙄
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
