Representative image showing a gun.
Credit: iStock Photo
A police officer was killed in a series of shootings Thursday afternoon in Minneapolis that left two other people dead, including the gunman, city officials said. Three people were injured, including another police officer and a firefighter.
Police were responding to a shooting at an apartment complex in Whittier, a neighborhood south of downtown, that killed one person and injured another, Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said at a news conference. Authorities did not identify the shooter or the motive.
Later, one of the officers, Jamal Mitchell, was shot and killed about two blocks from the apartment complex, Evans said. Mitchell had been heading toward the site of the first shooting when he got out of his car to provide medical assistance to an injured person, Evans said. That person shot Mitchell in an ambush, Evans said.
A bystander was shot at that location, and was in critical condition, Evans added. A firefighter was also injured during the gunfire.
A second police officer arrived shortly after Mitchell had been shot, Evans said. After exchanging gunfire with the shooter, the second officer was hospitalized with gunshot injuries that were not life-threatening. The shooter died at the scene after receiving first aid.
Mitchell died at Hennepin County Medical Center, where he was brought along with the other officer, Katie Blackwell, the assistant chief of operations for the Minneapolis police, said at the news conference. Mitchell has been with police department for about 18 months, she said.