A police officer killed while responding to a double shooting in Minneapolis was shot while rendering aid to a gunman who was only pretending to be a wounded victim, officials said.
The initial violence erupted around 5:30 p.m. Thursday evening at an apartment building in the city’s Whittier neighborhood, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans told reporters during a late-night press conference.
Officer Jamal Mitchell, who was among the officers called to investigate the reports of gunfire, was about two blocks away from the scene when he spotted several people who appeared to be wounded, Evans said. He immediately sprung into action, dashing out of his vehicle to help those he believed to be in need. One of the supposed victims, however was actually the suspect. He fatally shot Mitchell, a “courageous hero” who’d only been trying to help him, Evans added.
“What I can tell you is that Officer Mitchell was attempting to assist the individual that shot him — and that it happened very fast and that he ambushed him,” Evans said.
A second officer then traded gunfire with the suspect, who was fatally struck in the exchange. That officer too was wounded and hospitalized, but has since been released. A city firefighter was also shot amid the response, though their injuries were not considered life-threatening.
Inside the apartment, officers discovered two men suffering from gunshot wounds, one of whom died a short time later. The other was “gravely injured,” officials said. A bystander was also wounded and remained in critical condition on Friday.
Mitchell, who’d been with the Minneapolis Police Department for less than two years, was a father and engaged to be married. Authorities said he was honored for heroic actions last year — on just his third day on the job — after he and another officer rescued an elderly couple from a house fire.
“Today the City of Minneapolis lost a courageous hero,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement.
“Officer Jamal Mitchell was a father, a son, a fiancé, and a beloved member of our Minneapolis Police Department. Today, he made the ultimate sacrifice to protect and save the lives of others. His life, his service and his name will forever be remembered in the City of Minneapolis.”
An investigation into the deadly violence is ongoing. What exactly triggered the shooting remained unclear as of Friday morning and the suspect’s name has not yet been released.
With News Wire Services
