Minneapolis mass shooting: Officer Jamal Mitchell was ambushed, BCA says

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension's Drew Evans says Officer Jamal Mitchell was ambushed by gunfire as he was helping victims at the scene.

This all started just after 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 30, when Minneapolis police were called to an apartment on Blaisdell Avenue South for a report of a shooting. While en route, an officer stopped to help what appeared to be a possible victim. That's when police Officer Jamal Mitchell was shot in what authorities describe as an ambush. 

‘Officer Mitchell was attempting to assist the individual that shot him’

Mitchell stopped to provide aid to a man who appeared to be a victim but the man instead shot him, authorities said. Mitchell, 36, later died at the hospital. 

"What I can tell you is that Officer Mitchell was attempting to assist the individual that shot him," Evans said at a press conference. 

"What we had today is another police officer who was killed in the line of duty. Who was rushing toward danger. Who answered a call for service. And the first thing he did when he got out of his car was to try and help victims that were at a scene, and he was ambushed," said Evans at a press conference Thursday night.

A second officer exchanged gunfire with the suspect, who died at the scene. That officer was also shot but was treated at the hospital and was released, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara. A person in an apartment building was also killed, and three others were injured, including a Minneapolis firefighter. 

"I’m seeing that far too often… where they [law enforcement] are doing their jobs and the first thing that they encounter is gunfire. It’s alarming. It's scary," said Evans. 

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) is leading what it is calling a complex investigation between two separate crime scenes. The BCA is expected to release more information on the shooting in the coming days. 

The gunman hasn't yet been identified publicly by authorities, but they say they believe they know who the suspect is. 

Who is Jamal Mitchell?

Remembering a hero: Officer Jamal Mitchell

Jamal Mitchell had been with the Minneapolis Police Department since 2022, and was sworn in by O'Hara. In a late-night news conference, O'Hara remembered Mitchell fondly, saying, "I knew Jamal. I had the distinct honor of swearing in Jamal as a Minneapolis police officer. Shortly after hitting the street, I commended and honored him for running into a burning house in the 5th Precinct to rescue an elderly couple. He loved the job, he loved the MPD, and he was faithful to the oath he swore unto his death."

FOX 9 previously reported on Officer Mitchell's heroic actions in 2023 when, just days on the job, he ran into the burning home to rescue the couple.

Mitchell, who was 36, was engaged to be married and had a son. 

"Jamal died a hero, and like police officers in Minneapolis standing behind me here and everywhere, he was one of the few who have the courage to stand up and answer the call every single day. He died doing what we asked him to do for the rest of us," O'Hara said. "Jamal died doing what society asks all police officers to do. He did his job, and he was loyal to his oath until his death. There is no more honorable service one can provide."

Officer Mitchell's death marks the first line-of-duty death for Minneapolis police since 2002 when Officer Melissa Schmidt was killed. Officer Schmidt was also killed on Blaisdell Avenue while responding to a report of a woman with a gun at a public housing complex.