Minneapolis, MN
Remembering Minneapolis Police Officer Jamal Mitchell one year after his death in the line of duty
It’s been one year since Minneapolis police officer Jamal Mitchell was killed in the line of duty.
Mitchell raced to help a man in the Whittier neighborhood, not knowing the armed man he approached had just killed two people. Mitchell was a son, brother, father, fiancé and friend. The 36-year-old had only been with MPD for a year and a half but the impact he made will last a lifetime.
At an annual service of remembrance last week, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said, “Minneapolis police officer Jamal Mitchell dedicated his life to service. He was truly the definition of a hero.”
“In a pure act of selfless service, was taken from us by a violent act by the very person he was trying to help,” Minneapolis police Chief Brian O’Hara said.
The loss of officer Mitchell is still being felt in Minneapolis.
“The weight of that loss is immense; the grief is deep,” O’Hara said.
With his fiancé and kids in attendance, Mitchell’s sacrifice was honored in a special ceremony.
“Today a banner bearing his name added to the Minneapolis Police Department flag joining the names of all the men and women who have died in the line of duty,” O’Hara said.
A similar scene to honor the fallen in took place in Washington, D.C. during National Police Week.
His mom Janet Edwards was there, along with other family.
“Very emotional to know that, you know, he was placed on the wall. I told everybody it was like a bittersweet moment for me,” Edwards said.
Edwards said Mitchell loved people.
“And he loved his job. He loved what he was doing,” Edwards said.
At home they have their own memorial.
“I felt like it was something that she can go to every morning. We know he’s not here, but we can go to it to see him, and he’s still shining in our heart,” stepfather Dennis Edwards said.
“He is missed, and he’s missed throughout the whole family,” Dennis Edwards said.
They’re proud of his courage and bravery. Only days on the job, Mitchell rescued an elderly couple from a house fire. Last year Mitchell was posthumously given the medal of honor and the purple heart.
He was named 5th Precinct officer of the year.
Last month, Minneapolis police honored those on scene for their courage and actions in the moments after Mitchell was shot, while remembering the fallen hero.
“His actions as a man and how he lived his life, they’re heroic. He was a role model. He’s everything that we could ask for in a police officer,” O’Hara said.
O’Hara wears a metal band with his name on it. And carries Mitchell’s duty weapon in honor of him.
Others carry on his memory in their own ways.
“There’s other members of department here who were helping with youth activities with Jamal. That played basketball with him, off duty. Business owners and people from town who remember Jamal, you know, just coming in and just being a very positive, engaged role model for youth, and just honestly, you know, we could not have asked for better. And in life, he was a father,” O’Hara said.
A community, and department, indebted to their dad’s service.
“They they all have moments, you know, of difficulty and anguish. The main thing we want to make sure is that the family knows they will not be forgotten. He did what we asked him to do. And you know, the city owes, owes our gratitude to his family for their sacrifice,” O’Hara said.
Mitchell’s mom plans to be in Connecticut Friday with some of his siblings.
O’Hara will join Mitchell’s family living in town for a private memorial, followed by time with officers who worked with him.
Expect a pleasant Monday with light breezes, filtered sunshine, and highs in the 50s. Temperatures cool into the 40s this week with chances for rain and snow. FOX 9 meteorologist Cody Matz has the full forecast.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A man who admitted to firing the shots that killed an 18-year-old mother in south Minneapolis back in May 2020 is charged with murder.
The criminal complaint names Malcom Chan Johnson, 33, of Minneapolis, as a suspect in the fatal shooting after he told police he didn’t know there was a woman in the car he was shooting at.
The shooting claimed the life of Arionna Buckanaga, who was set to graduate high school a month after she was shot.
READ MORE: Vigil held for woman shot in vehicle in south Minneapolis
Man charged for 2020 shooting death of Arionna Buckanaga
Fatal shooting:
Court documents show the shooting happened near the intersection of 39th Street East and Cedar Avenue South in Minneapolis at about 11:25 p.m. on May 4, 2020.
Officers found Arionna in the driver’s seat of a crashed Ford Mustang, with a gunshot wound to her head. She died at the hospital days later.
Her boyfriend, who was a passenger in the Mustang, told police he did not know who shot at the vehicle.
Investigation:
The criminal complaint states officers found an abandoned Chevy Suburban with bullet holes in the hood about a mile-and-a-half away from the scene of the shooting. The bullet holes appeared to be consistent with the driver of the vehicle shooting over the hood and accidentally striking the vehicle.
Investigators also found 32 shell casings at the scene of the shooting. About two weeks later, police found two Glock 9mm handguns in a compost bin about eight blocks away from the shooting. Law enforcement officials determined the two guns fired the 32 shots.
DNA swabs taken from the Suburban were found to match Malcom Chan Johnson and another man, Namiri Tanner. Tests on the firearms also revealed a mixture of DNA that also matched Tanner.
Court documents say authorities then spoke to a witness on March 20, 2025, who told them Johnson confessed to the shooting and that Johnson had a “gang feud” with Arionna’s boyfriend.
Confession:
Police then spoke to Namiri Tanner, who is in a federal prison in Kentucky.
The complaint states Tanner confessed to shooting at the Mustang and from the passenger’s seat and said that Johnson was shooting from the driver’s seat, firing over the hood. Tanner added that the two men abandoned the Suburban and ditched the guns in a trash can.
Authorities then interviewed Johnson on March 4, 2026. He admitted driving the Suburban and firing one of the guns.
Johnson said he thought Arionna’s boyfriend was in the Mustang, but didn’t know she was as well, and said he did not mean to kill her, according to the complaint.
What we don’t know:
It’s unclear if Tanner will face charges in the case. Tanner is being held in federal prison on a drug case. However, it appears he is due to be released next month.
The Source: This story uses information from a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County Court and previous FOX 9 reporting.
The semi-tractors that were on fire in Minneapolis. (FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Early Saturday, the Minneapolis Fire Department responded to several semi-tractors on fire in a railyard.
Crews respond to fires and explosions
What we know:
Firefighters arrived at the railyard at 29th Avenue Northeast and Central Avenue Northeast around 12:15 a.m. They found six semi-tractors fully engulfed in flames.
Authorities say the railroad company confirmed that there were no hazardous materials in the area, and Xcel Energy was contacted to shut down a nearby electrical line exposed to the fire.
The fire came under control in about 20 minutes, fire officials said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. There were no injuries reported in the incident.
What we don’t know:
The exact cause of the fire remains unknown as investigations continue.
The Source: Information from the Minneapolis Fire Department.
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