Minneapolis mass shooting: BCA identifies officers who stopped gunman
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota BCA has identified the two Minneapolis officers who were able to stop a gunman who killed a police officer last week during a shooting spree.
Officer Jamal Mitchell was killed as he tried to help two people he believed to be shooting victims along Blaisdell Avenue on Thursday afternoon. According to the BCA, Mitchell was the first officer on the scene after 911 calls came in for a shooting at an apartment building near Blaisdell and East 22nd Street.
The BCA says Mitchell reported over the radio that he saw two men injured in the street as he pulled up. Those two people turned out to be the gunman, Mustafa Mohamed, 35, and a bystander who had been shot. Mohamed was sitting next to a car as Officer Mitchell approached him, trying to see if he was injured. Without warning, the BCA says Mohamed pulled a gun and shot Officer Mitchell.
SWAT teams respond after Officer Jamal Mitchell was killed in a shooting along Blaisdell Avenue on Thursday, May 30. (FOX 9)
Mohamed kept firing at Mitchell until two other officers pulled up. Mohamed then took shots at the other officers. Those officers, identified Sunday as Nick Kapinos and Luke Kittock, were able to fire the shots that stopped Mohamed's rampage.
Mitchell was rushed to Hennepin County Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. Kittock was also struck by gunfire during the exchange with Mohamed. He was treated and released from the hospital.
The bystander, who Officer Mitchell was trying to help, was also seriously injured. A firefighter was also hurt during the chaos.
Along with those outside, police also found a body in the apartment building near the shooting scene on Blaisdell Avenue.
Mohamed was pronounced dead at the scene.
Who is Jamal Mitchell?
Jamal Mitchell had been with the Minneapolis Police Department since 2022, and was sworn in by Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara. In a late-night news conference, O'Hara remembered Mitchell fondly, saying, "I knew Jamal. I had the distinct honor of swearing in Jamal as a Minneapolis police officer. Shortly after hitting the street, I commended and honored him for running into a burning house in the 5th Precinct to rescue an elderly couple. He loved the job, he loved the MPD, and he was faithful to the oath he swore unto his death."
FOX 9 previously reported on Officer Mitchell's heroic actions in 2023 when, just days on the job, he ran into the burning home to rescue the couple.
Mitchell, who was 36, was engaged to be married and had a son.
"Jamal died a hero, and like police officers in Minneapolis standing behind me here and everywhere, he was one of the few who have the courage to stand up and answer the call every single day. He died doing what we asked him to do for the rest of us," O'Hara said. "Jamal died doing what society asks all police officers to do. He did his job, and he was loyal to his oath until his death. There is no more honorable service one can provide."
Officer Mitchell's death marks the first line-of-duty death for Minneapolis police since 2002 when Officer Melissa Schmidt was killed. Officer Schmidt was also killed on Blaisdell Avenue while responding to a report of a woman with a gun at a public housing complex.