Family member of Minneapolis downtown apartment mass shooting victim speaks out

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A downtown Minneapolis apartment complex became the scene of a mass shooting Wednesday, leaving two residents dead, three officers wounded and a community grieving.

Victims identified, community mourns

What we know:

On Thursday, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) identified the two residents killed as Dale Henry Spry, 63, and Muse A. Afrah, 61.

BCA investigators believe both lived at the apartment complex on the ninth floor, where officers found them shot.

Investigators say Carlton Johnson II opened fire at the Shoreline Apartments just after 4:30pm Wednesday. He started shooting during a custody exchange with the mother of his child.

The child escaped physically unharmed, police said, and medics took the mother to the hospital. Johnson also shot and injured two building employees before moving to the ninth floor, where he shot and killed Spry and Afrah.

Police found him on the ninth floor and exchanged gunfire. Johnson shot and injured Minneapolis police officers Joseph Michnowski and Yahye Ahmed, then, investigators said, a Minneapolis police officer shot and killed Johnson.

An online fundraiser for one of the injured building employees — a property manager named Jan — says she has since had multiple surgeries and is stable. Tenants describe Jan as friendly and attentive to happenings in the building.

The Minnesota Multi Housing Association said they are praying for the victims, and are calling attention to the dangers residential building employees face.

"We're once again heartbroken to see individuals in our industry getting victimized," said Cecil Smith of the Minnesota Multi Housing Association.

Family remembers Dale Spry

What they're saying:

Spry, an Army veteran, is being remembered by his family as a jokester and a peacekeeper. His nephew, Kendall Coleman, spoke with FOX 9 while standing on the street where he and Spry grew up.

"I can just hear him," Coleman said. "Nephew, what we got to eat and drink around here man?"

Coleman and Spry were eight years apart, and spent their childhood teasing one another. Coleman said Spry had a habit of walking Coleman through an alley he knew was full of dogs.

"For some reason he always wanted to walk through the alley," Coleman said. "I think he just did that to scare me."

Even as Coleman laughs at the memory, the reality of his uncle's death is still hard to process.

"It just doesn't make sense for him to be shot," said Coleman.

Coleman believes his uncle's instinct, even in that moment, would have been to help rather than harm.

"I know Dale would have tried to help him instead of hurt him," Coleman said of Johnson.

What we don't know:

At this point, officials say there is no evidence that Johnson specifically targeted Spry or any of the others — but investigators are still looking into that.

Coleman says the pain left behind is something he continues to wrestle with.

"You put a lot of pain on a lot of other people, for what?" Coleman again said of Johnson.

Still, he holds onto what his uncle would tell him now.

"Button up, he would say. I don't know where he must have got that from the service. But button up man, we're gonna be all right," said Coleman.

Coleman started a GoFundMe to raise money for Spry’s funeral, and to provide support to Spry’s children.

The Source: FOX 9's Emily Pofahl contributed to this report. Additional information was provided by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.