Minneapolis, MN
Things to know about the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis officer
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis police officer shot and killed last week was an outgoing person who loved his job, his family said.
Officer Jamal Mitchell, 36, died in the shooting on Thursday. Police said the man who shot him was 35-year-old Mustafa Mohamed. Responding officers killed Mohamed, and a state agency identified the officers on Sunday.
Another shooting victim, 32-year-old Osman Said Jimale, was later found dead at an apartment. Four others, including one of the responding officers and a firefighter, were injured.
Here are some things to know.
WHO WERE THE OFFICERS INVOLVED IN THE SHOOTING?
The officers who fired on Mohamed were Nick Kapinos, who has 10 years of law enforcement experience, and Luke Kittock, who has nine years, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, or BCA. Kapinos fired his service handgun, and Kittock fired his service rifle, it said.
Both officers were put on leave pending the outcome of the investigation, which is standard policy in officer-involved shootings.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Officers responded to a call of a double shooting at an apartment complex. Mitchell was the first to arrive, BCA said. As he neared the complex, he said over the police radio that he saw two injured men — Mohamed and a bystander — in the street.
Mitchell got out of his car and approached Mohamed, who was sitting next to a parked vehicle, BCA said. Mitchell asked Mohamed if he was hurt and needed help.
“Without warning, Mohamed pulled out a handgun and shot Mitchell at close range,” BCA said. “Mitchell fell to the ground, incapacitated.”
Additional officers arrived and saw Mohamed continuing to shoot Mitchell, BCA said. As those officers approached, Mohamed starting shooting at them, according to the agency.
Kapinos and Kittock returned fire, striking Mohamed multiple times, BCA said. He died at the scene. Mitchell died at a hospital.
Kittock was injured in the exchange of gunfire and treated at a hospital. A Minneapolis firefighter was also treated for injuries. The bystander who was shot is in critical but stable condition.
Investigators recovered a handgun with an extended magazine and several cartridge casings at the scene, BCA said. Agents are reviewing body-worn and squad car camera video.
When other officers went to the apartment, they found two people inside who had been shot. Jimale was dead and the other person was critically wounded.
WHO WAS KILLED?
Police have provided little information about Mohamed or Jimale.
Mitchell was a father who was engaged to be married. He had been with the department about 18 months.
The police department posted on Facebook last year that Mitchell and another officer had rescued an elderly couple from a house fire on Feb. 7, 2023, Mitchell’s third day on the job. The post said Mitchell and Officer Zachery Randall ran inside and got the couple out before the home was fully engulfed in flames.
“I told him, ‘You’re one of the good guys, Jamal,’” close friend Allison Seed told the Minnesota Star Tribune. “They really needed him.”
Mitchell was outgoing, with a big smile and a penchant for trying to uplift those around him, his family said.
“If he saw somebody on the corner with a pan, he’s going to dig in his pocket and he’s going to give,” Janet Raper-Edwards, Mitchell’s mother, told Minnesota Public Radio. “He just loved people.”
Raper-Edwards said Mitchell had six siblings, including a twin.
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
Exactly what led up to the shooting and the shooter’s motivations are still unknown. The connection between the two shooting locations remains unclear. Police have said that the people in the apartment “had some level of acquaintance with each other.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has said authorities are still investigating and asked people to “be patient with us as we do not know all of the facts yet. We want to make sure that the investigation is completed and we’re doing it the right way.”
Minneapolis, MN
A Minneapolis squad car involved in crash, both officers expected to be ok
MINNEAPOLIS — Two Minneapolis Police Officers were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries after their squad car was involved in a crash with another vehicle.
The accident happened just after 10:30 p.m. Saturday night near Chicago Avenue and 9th Street South.
Police say the two officers were driving with their lights and siren activated when the collied with another car — a security vehicle.
The driver and lone occupant of the security vehicle was not injured.
Minneapolis Traffic Investigations responded to the scene. Minneapolis police will investigate the accident.
Minneapolis, MN
A new Christkindl Market is open in the heart of Minneapolis
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis shooting critically injures man
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Police say a man was struck by a vehicle and then shot when he tried to run away from a Minneapolis bus stop.
What we know
Officers responded to a reported shooting near the intersection of Lowry Avenue North and Fremont Avenue North around 12:15 a.m. Saturday.
Investigators believe a man at a bus stop was in “an altercation” with multiple people in a vehicle.
The driver then struck the man with the vehicle as the man tried to run away, police say.
Someone in the vehicle then allegedly shot the man before the driver left the area with the vehicle.
Law enforcement described the victim’s injuries as “potentially life-threatening.”
What we don’t know
Police have not released details on any suspect descriptions or the vehicle involved.
-
Business1 week ago
Column: Molly White's message for journalists going freelance — be ready for the pitfalls
-
Science4 days ago
Trump nominates Dr. Oz to head Medicare and Medicaid and help take on 'illness industrial complex'
-
Politics6 days ago
Trump taps FCC member Brendan Carr to lead agency: 'Warrior for Free Speech'
-
Technology6 days ago
Inside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI
-
Lifestyle7 days ago
Some in the U.S. farm industry are alarmed by Trump's embrace of RFK Jr. and tariffs
-
World6 days ago
Protesters in Slovakia rally against Robert Fico’s populist government
-
News6 days ago
They disagree about a lot, but these singers figure out how to stay in harmony
-
News6 days ago
Gaetz-gate: Navigating the President-elect's most baffling Cabinet pick