A Minneapolis police officer was killed in an ambush Thursday, two other people died and more were injured in a chaotic incident.
Another officer and a firefighter were among those injured in the south Minneapolis shooting.
Officer Jamal Mitchell “gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect and save the lives of others,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in an evening press conference. He was “a courageous hero and today is a devastating day in the city of Minneapolis.”
Minneapolis officers responded Thursday afternoon to a report of a double shooting at an apartment in the 2200 block of Blaisdell Avenue South in the Whittier neighborhood.
Mitchell exited his squad car and “was trying to help victims … and he was ambushed,” said Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans.
A second officer arrived soon after Mitchell was shot and exchanged gunfire with the suspect, Evans said.
The two officers who were shot were immediately brought to Hennepin County Medical Center, where Mitchell died. The other officer and firefighter sustained non-life threatening injuries, said Assistant Police Chief Katie Blackwell.
The suspect was injured in the gunfire. Officers rendered first aid, but he died at the scene, Blackwell said.
Police found two adult male victims with gunshot wounds at an apartment, Evans said. One was pronounced dead and the second, who was gravely injured, was taken to the hospital.
The location where Mitchell was shot was about a block and a half from the original call.
“Mitchell was attempting to assist the individual that shot him and … it happened very fast and … he ambushed him,” Evans said.
Another person, “an innocent bystander we believe, … was shot as well at that location,” Evans said. That person was in critical condition as of Thursday night.
The BCA is investigating.
Mitchell, 28, joined the Minneapolis police department about a year and a half ago, Blackwell said.
He was a son, a father, a fiancé “and an officer who was so deeply committed to protecting and serving,” Frey said. “He would run towards danger when the rest of us would run in the other direction.” He was recognized in February 2023 for saving an elderly couple from a fire.
Mitchell was the first Minneapolis police officer to be fatally shot in the line of duty since Officer Melissa Schmidt was slain on Aug. 1, 2002, after responding to a report of an armed woman at a public housing complex in the 3100 block of Blaisdell Avenue South. The woman shot Schmidt in a restroom; the woman was fatally shot by Schmidt
Mitchell’s death was the first law enforcement line-of-duty death in Minnesota since February, when two Burnsville police officers and a firefighter/paramedic were fatally shot during a standoff with an armed man who later took his own life.
The Burnsville violence followed what has been a deadly year for law enforcement officers in the region. Three western Wisconsin officers were gunned down in two separate incidents in April and May 2023; a Pope County, Minn., sheriff’s deputy was shot in April 2023; and a Fargo, N.D., police officer was ambushed in July.
Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association executive director Brian Peters said in a Thursday evening statement: “The law enforcement community is devastated and mourning. Once again, a police officer bravely faced danger and tragically lost his life protecting the community. This officer exemplified unmatched dedication, bravery, and service in defense of the public. Our deepest sympathies and prayers are with his family, friends, and fellow officers as they navigate through this incredibly challenging time. The officer’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding others will leave a legacy of service that will always be remembered. We collectively mourn this significant loss and stand in solidarity to support the Minneapolis Police Department.”
What happened should be “unthinkable,” Gov. Tim Walz said at the Minneapolis news conference, but he said “it’s now happened four times in the last couple of months where we’ve had public safety officers … being ambushed.”
“That trauma quickly should turn to anger and a commitment that this cannot happen,” Walz said. “We do not have to live this way. We have got to commit together to do all we can.”