Chaotic south Minneapolis shooting leaves at least 3 dead including officer, suspect
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A Minneapolis police officer, a suspected shooter and a civilian are dead after a shooting in the Whittier neighborhood on Thursday, the department said. Several others are injured.
Officer Jamal Mitchell died in the shooting, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in an evening news conference.
“He was a hero, a son, a father, a fiancé, and an officer who was so deeply committed to protecting and serving,” Frey said. “Just a year ago officer Jamal Mitchell was recognized for a heroic act in saving a number of people, an elderly couple, and that is just the kind of person that he was.”
In addition to the dead, a man is injured, a bystander is in critical condition, and an officer and a firefighter were shot but their injuries are not considered life-threatening, officials said.
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There was no longer danger to the public, officials said Thursday night.
Minneapolis police said they were responding to a reported double shooting in an apartment building near 22nd Street and Blaisdell Avenue. Dozens of police vehicles and multiple ambulances began responding to the area around 5:20 p.m.
Mitchell arrived and found an injured person about a block away from the apartment and, as he tried to give medical assistance, was ambushed and shot, according to Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension superintendent Drew Evans.
A second officer arrived and returned fire. The suspect was injured and died at the scene.
Officers found two men shot in the apartment. One died and one was gravely injured, police said. Officials thought the second man was going to die on the way to the hospital but he was still alive as of about 10:15 p.m., Evans said.
Evans said officials believe they know who the suspect is but will release more information soon.
Blaisdell Avenue was closed from Franklin Avenue to 24th Street as swarms of law enforcement responded including the FBI, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and SWAT vehicles. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives St. Paul Field Division said its agents also responded to the scene.
Tyler Carson, who lives in an apartment building next to the scene, said police blocked him as he was trying to exit the garage around the time of the shooting.
“I saw all these people running out from the apartment, they were jumping over the fence of the school over there” on Blaisdell, he said. “I thought, ‘Oh, God, something really bad must have happened.’”
Around 7:15 p.m. police vehicles were arriving to HCMC in downtown Minneapolis, where police vehicles and tape blocked an entrance. Hundreds of law enforcement joined a procession outside HCMC around 10 p.m.
This is the second shooting in Minnesota this year to claim the life of a first responder. Burnsville police officers Matthew Ruge and Paul Elmstrand and firefighter-paramedic Adam Finseth were shot and killed Feb. 18 while responding to a call for help involving a man armed and barricaded in a home with seven children inside.
The last time a Minneapolis officer was fatally shot while on duty was in 2002, when officer Melissa Jayne Schmidt was killed, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
“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,” Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association Executive Director Brian Peters said in a statement.
"This has been a terrible day for our agency and in law enforcement. And that's happening all too frequently and it affects so many," Minneapolis Police Assistant Chief Katie Blackwell said.
Correction: An earlier version of this story reported an incorrect number of deaths. The story has been updated.
