MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesotans mourn the loss of Minneapolis police officer shot and killed in the line of duty Thursday, and more details about his past heroics will be revealed.
Officer Jamal Mitchell, 36, was killed in a shooting in the city’s Whittier section. A civilian was also killed, as was the suspect. Two other civilians were also injured, one critically and one critically. Another officer was also injured, as well as a Minneapolis firefighter. Both should survive.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Mitchell was “a father, a son, a (fiancé), a friend and a member of the MPD since 2022.”
Minneapolis Police Department
“I had the honor of swearing in Jamal as a Minneapolis police officer,” O’Hara said.
Mitchell received recognition for his work in February 2023 after saving an elderly couple from a burning house. Bodycam video shows him helping the couple out of their home.
O’Hara said Mitchell had only been on the job for three days when he made that rescue. At the time, O’Hara called Mitchell and his partner, Officer Zachary Randall, “truly heroic,” saying the officers risked their lives despite the danger.
The story gained national attention and was included in CNN’s “Beyond the Call of Duty” series.
“It’s part of the job. We’re here to protect the community, do what we can to serve the community,” Mitchell told CNN. “We are trained to pit the lives of others against our own.”
O’Hara paid tribute to Mitchell at a news conference hours after his murder.
“He died a hero, and like the police officers who stood here with me, and like cops everywhere, he was one of the few who had the courage to stand up and answer the call every day. He died doing what we asked him to do, on behalf of others,” O’Hara said.
MPD
Katie Blackwell, deputy chief of operations for the Minneapolis Police Department, said Mitchell “was exceptional in every way.”
“He was courageous in every action he took,” Blackwell said. “He was a wonderful human being.”
Shortly after news of his death broke, law enforcement agencies across Minnesota honored Mitchell in a process that began at Hennepin Healthcare in downtown Minneapolis.
Dozens of cars lined up for hours to escort the fallen police officer to the medical examiner’s office. Others gathered along the way to show their support. Twin Cities residents are also showing their support by turning on blue lights to signify they support law enforcement.
Mitchell is the third Minnesota police officer killed this year. Burnsville officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, along with town firefighter Adam Finseth, were murdered during a standoff in February.
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, 60 police officers have been killed across the country this year.