Minneapolis police officer dies in ambush shooting

A Minneapolis police officer killed Thursday had responded to a call about a shooting and was providing medical care to a man when he was ambushed and killed in a shootout that killed two other people, including the suspected gunman, authorities said. Minneapolis police officer Jamal Mitchell was trying to help an injured man when the man shot him, said Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The Minneapolis Police Department said the public was not in danger but urged people to stay away from the crime scene at an apartment complex in the southern Minneapolis neighborhood of Whittier. The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association said a second officer was injured while responding to the call. Police held a news conference late in the evening to talk about the shooting. News footage showed a large police presence at both the apartment complex and the hospital. Melvin Carter, the mayor of neighboring St. Paul, said the city was sending police and other first responders to Minneapolis to provide support, including officers helping with security at the NBA playoff game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks. Agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were “responding to a shooting,” said Ashlee Sherrill, a spokeswoman for the local operations division. ATF agents were “on the scene to expedite the firearms portion of the investigation,” she said.