MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis’ police chief told grieving officers Friday that he was angered and hurt by the ambush death of one of their own as the city and state mourned the loss.
Chief Brian O’Hara joined other officers outside the station where Officer Jamal Mitchell was working before he was shot Thursday while responding to a double shooting at an apartment building. Mitchell, 36, stopped to help a man who appeared to be an injured victim. That man instead shot the officer, authorities said.
“I am angry and deeply hurt by such a senseless and violent attack on the Minneapolis Finest,” O’Hara said, according to a statement released by the department. He added: “As police officers we know that dying in the line of duty is always a possibility, but the harsh reality hurts us very deeply when it happens. »
Mitchell was killed during a chaotic situation involving two crime scenes two blocks apart that left three civilians dead, including the shooter, two others hospitalized in critical condition, as well as Another officer and a firefighter injured less seriously. The video clearly shows Mitchell was ambushed, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said at a news conference Thursday evening.
O’Hara said the shooter “murdered” Mitchell as the officer tried to help him and continued shooting at him after he fell to the ground. Mitchell died in hospital.
Gov. Tim Walz ordered flags to be flown at half-staff across Minnesota starting at sunrise Friday, calling Mitchell a “dedicated public servant and hero” who made the ultimate sacrifice.
“Our first responders are the first to respond in a crisis,” the governor said in a statement Friday morning. “We must never take their commitment for granted, and we must ensure they can answer the call of duty without fearing for their own lives.” »
At Thursday night’s news conference, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said authorities were still investigating and asked people to “be patient with us because we don’t know all the facts yet.” We want to make sure that the investigation is completed and that we conduct it in the right way.
Law enforcement officials provided a brief account of what happened. When Mitchell was about two blocks from the complex, he got out of his car to help an apparently injured man who then shot him. Another officer arrived and exchanged gunfire with the shooter, who died at the scene despite officers’ attempts to save him, Deputy Police Chief Katie Blackwell said. This officer suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.
Evans said another person, believed to be an innocent bystander, was shot and taken to a hospital in critical condition. A firefighter was also shot and injured. Other officers who went to the apartment found two people inside who had been shot. Police said they may have been residents of that location. One was dead and the other was hospitalized in critical condition, Evans said. He said the people in the apartment “knew each other to some extent.”
The shooting took place three months later two officers and a firefighter-paramedic in the Minneapolis suburb of Burnsville were killed while responding to a domestic violence call. In that case, a man began shooting from a home while seven children were inside. A third officer was injured before the man took his own life.
Mitchell, a father who was engaged, had been with the department for less than 18 months. The Minneapolis Police Department honored Mitchell and another officer last year for saving an elderly couple from a house fire.
Speaking early Friday, O’Hara recalled both swearing in Mitchell in October 2022 and praising him last year for the rescue.
“Jamal died a hero, and like the Minneapolis police officers who stand behind me here and everywhere, he was one of the few with the courage to stand up and answer the call every day,” said the chief.
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Associated Press reporter Mark Thiessen contributed to this story from Anchorage, Alaska.
News Source : apnews.com
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