Minneapolis will hold private ceremony to mark one year since the death of officer Jamal Mitchell
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It has been one year since Officer Jamal Mitchell was killed while responding to a chaotic shooting in Minneapolis’ Whittier neighborhood.
Mitchell was 36 years old when he died, a fiance and father to four. Those who knew him well say Mitchell was a compassionate, warm-hearted man with an infectious smile — and who was determined to help anyone who needed it, in and out of the uniform.
“Today, one year later, my hope is that everyone in our city will together recognize Officer Mitchell’s remarkable service and the sacrifice he and his family has made on behalf of the people of Minneapolis,” Chief Brian O’Hara said in a statement Friday morning. “Officer Mitchell, thank you. We miss you. We carry you with us and your service is an example for police officers everywhere. We will always remember the life you lived and the love you gave.”
On May 30, 2024, Mitchell responded to reports of a double shooting near 22nd Street and Blaisdell Avenue. Nearby, he spotted a pair of people lying on the ground and rushed to help, not knowing one of them had been the shooter.
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While attempting to administer medical aid, that same man, Mustafa Ahmed Mohamed, opened fire on Mitchell. Officers who arrived shot at Mohamed, who died at the scene. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office determined earlier this month that the officers had acted lawfully.
Before he killed Mitchell, police say Mohamed shot two other men, Mohamed Bashir Aden and Osman Said Jimale, who both died.
After his death, Mitchell was awarded the city’s two highest police honors — a Purple Heart and Medal of Honor. Police Chief Brian O’Hara noted at Mitchell’s memorial service that it wasn’t about how Mitchell died, but “how he lived his life as a man up until the very end.”
Mitchell joined MPD in 2022. Within his first few days of working patrol, Mitchell rushed into a burning home to rescue an elderly couple. Soon after, he was awarded with a lifesaving award.
Officer Lewis Bady, 31, was in the same academy class as Mitchell. He said when he found out about Mitchell’s heroic act, he wasn’t surprised.
“The first thing we said is, of course it was Jamal,” Bady said.
The two of them quickly became friends while undergoing training together. Bady said Mitchell would genuinely check in on the people around him, often calling him while they were both headed to work, and had an easy way of joking around with anyone, no matter how well he knew them.
“He was just the kind of guy you wanted to be around and I learned so much from him,” Bady said. “Not just the officer he was, but the man he was. He taught me a lot.”
He said he remembers being struck, early on, by Mitchell’s dedication toward making a positive impact. Despite having options, Bady said, Mitchell chose to come to MPD because he believed it was where the work needed to be done — where he could do the most good.
After Mitchell died, Bady said he considered quitting and questioned what he was doing at MPD — but it led to the same answer that he and Mitchell would often talk about. That they were committed to taking on the responsibility, no matter the circumstances, in order to fulfill their mission.
Bady said he wears Mitchell’s name on his wrist every day. It’s been a constant reminder of Mitchell’s legacy, and of the type of officer he hopes others also feel inspired to embody.
That legacy was part of the fabric of Mitchell, even before he took up the oath.
“If he saw somebody on the corner with a pan, he's going to dig in his pocket and he's going to give,” Mitchell’s mother Janet Raper-Edwards told MPR News last year. “He just loved people. You know, he just loved helping people. That's just how Jamal was, he always wanted to be a help to somebody.”
For new hires, Mitchell’s legacy is top of mind — as are the risks they face, too, in committing to be part of the city’s first response. At an MPD graduation ceremony in January, Chief O’Hara lifted up Mitchell as the type of officer he wants the department to represent.
“Like each of you — our new recruits, our cadets, interns, community service officers — Jamal sat in your seats, eager to be the change our community wants. Jamal represented the very best of this profession and what policing in America can be today,” O’Hara said.
In the history of MPD, there have been 50 line-of-duty deaths, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page. At the ceremony, graduating recruits presented flowers to family members of fallen officers — including the daughter of Officer James E. Hendricks, who was shot and killed while responding to a call in 1963, more than 60 years ago.
“Please know that your loved ones’ legacies do not end there,” O’Hara said. “They will live on forever, and the work continues in the community that they helped protect and the new generation of officers who are stepping forward to give honor to their service.”
Along with a Medal of Honor and Purple Heart, Mitchell was named the 2024 officer of the year for the 5th Precinct. Ahead of National Police Week this year, the city council passed an honorary resolution paying tribute to Mitchell’s service to the city.
Mitchell’s children and fiance Tori Myslajek were in attendance.
“Officer Mitchell's deep dedication to service, his compassion for others, his radiant spirit, left a lasting impact on his colleagues, his community and everyone who had the privilege of knowing him,” said council member Michael Rainville, reading aloud part of the resolution.
Mitchell’s name has been memorialized on the Minneapolis Police Department flag and on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in D.C.
The department is holding a private ceremony Friday and is planning a public event in honor of Michell, to be held on June 14.
