A Minneapolis police officer was “ambushed” and killed by a gunman he was trying to help, a suspect was fatally shot by police and a third person was found dead in an apartment as the violence unfolded Thursday, officials said
Police responded to a report of a double shooting at a Blaisdell Avenue apartment, and arriving officers “immediately encountered gunfire and exchanged gunfire,” Assistant Police Chief Katie Blackwell said.
The suspect was injured and died at the scene, police said. Officers found two men shot in an apartment; one was dead and the other was “seriously injured,” officials said.
Others were also injured, including a bystander who was in critical condition, a second police officer who was shot and had non-life-threatening injuries and a city firefighter who was also shot and whose injuries were also not life-threatening.
“Today is a devastating day in the city of Minneapolis,” Mayor Jacob Frey said at a news conference.
The slain officer, Jamal Mitchell, was a father who was engaged to be married, police said. He worked for the police for about a year and a half.
Mitchell was “ambushed” when he tried to provide medical aid after arriving on the scene, said Drew Evans, chief inspector of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
“What I can tell you is that Officer Mitchell was trying to help the person who shot him – and it happened very quickly and he ambushed him,” Evans said.
Evans said the investigation was preliminary and officials will provide more information later. “It will become much clearer in the coming days what exactly happened,” he said.
The suspect who was killed was not publicly identified. It is unclear what the motive is and what led to the shooting.
After Mitchell was shot, a second officer arrived and exchanged gunfire with the suspect, killing the suspect, officials said. This officer was also injured in the gunfire.
Cory Jones told NBC affiliate KARE of Minneapolis that he was on his way to a recovery meeting in the area when he “heard some shots.”
“I sat behind a tree and then saw the officer lying on the ground and then a man lying by the car,” Jones told the station. “And sat behind that tree until they finished shooting.”
The police officer was lying unconscious in the street and another person was near a car, said Jones, of South Minneapolis.
Around 6:45 p.m., police posted on X that two officers were injured and others were also injured in an active incident in the Whittier neighborhood.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said on X that she was “devastated to learn that the MPD officer was killed and another seriously injured tonight as they worked to keep our community safe.”
She called it a tragedy and said she and her husband were praying for the families of the two officers and anyone else affected by the violence.
Gov. Tim Walz said the Minnesota State Patrol was sent to assist police. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said its officers responded to “an active shooting scene.”
Walz said press conferences about injured officers and funerals “cannot be the norm.”
“This is really a tough job. It’s really a tough job, and it’s really hard with a lot of guns on the streets,” Walz said, adding that police need to be supported and have everything they need to protect themselves and their communities.
“My deepest condolences and an absolute commitment that this cannot be the norm,” he said.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
