Police officer dies after being ‘ambushed’ while responding to Minneapolis shooting

A Minneapolis police officer died after responding to a 911 call about a shooting and was ambushed, officials said Thursday evening.

Minneapolis police officers responded to reports of a shooting involving two men in the 2200 block of Blaisdell Ave. S. on Thursday, Deputy Chief of Operations Katie Blackwell told media. When officers arrived, they were immediately fired upon and exchanged gunfire, she said.

Two police officers were injured in the incident and taken to a nearby hospital. Officer Jamal Mitchell died in hospital, she said. The second officer, whose name was not released, suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to the deputy police chief.

Drew Evans of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said Mitchell had just arrived at the scene and was administering first aid when he was shot.

“As Officer Mitchell approached the scene, he spotted injured people getting out of his car. As he attempted to render medical assistance to them, he was ambushed,” Evans said at Thursday’s press conference.

Two people with gunshot wounds were found at the scene, said Blackwell, who spoke at a news conference Thursday evening. One of the two was pronounced dead at the scene. The other person was critically injured, she said.

A firefighter also suffered life-threatening injuries, Blackwell said.

Regarding Officer Mitchell’s death, Blackwell said it was “extraordinary in every way.”

She said Mitchell joined her department just over a year ago and received an award on his third day on the job. According to a February 2023 post on the department’s Facebook page, Mitchell was just being sworn in when he and a colleague helped rescue two elderly adults from a house fire.

The investigation is ongoing.