Minneapolis PD release bodycam footage from shooting that killed Officer Mitchell
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minneapolis Police Department on Friday released bodycamera footage from the mass shooting that left Officer Jamal Mitchell dead.
Three bodycamera videos were released from two officers involved in the incident, Officer Luke Kittock and Officer Nicholas Kapinos, as well as a brief clip from Officer Mitchell's bodycamera. The videos show the chaos surrounding the shooting, gunshots ringing out throughout the video and police officers running with their guns drawn. At one point in the videos, you can hear police approach the suspect, Mustafa Mohamed, saying "This is the only shooter we've got so far."
Officer Mitchell's bodycam video is not required to be released by state law, with Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara saying Mitchell did not have time to draw his handgun. O'Hara said Friday he released a portion of his bodycam video to give context to what Mitchell walked into.
"[Mitchell] represents the very best of the men and women of in this profession, in this state and around the country," O'Hara said. "And I think it's clear from his video, all Jamal was doing was trying to help somebody he thought was shot and in need of aid, in need of care. He did absolutely nothing wrong. And he was very suddenly and without provocation, ambushed and assassinated."
The BCA will release more information on this incident in the future, O'Hara said on Friday.
The MPD on Friday also released bodycam footage from the June 12 police shooting of an armed man.
What happened on May 30
Authorities say Officer Mitchell was ambushed after he responded to a 911 call of a shooting on the 2100 block of Blaisdell Avenue in Minneapolis on May 30. The BCA says Mitchell was the first officer to respond to the scene. On his radio, he said he saw two men with injuries in the street — one person was later identified as Mohamed, 35, of Minneapolis, the other was a bystander who had been shot.
Mitchell then got out of his squad car and approached Mohamed, who was sitting next to a parked vehicle. Mitchell asked him if he was hurt, but then Mohamed pulled a gun out and shot Mitchell, the BCA said.
Other officers arrived at the scene and saw Mohamed shooting Mitchell. As police approached, Mohamed shot at them, the BCA says. Kapinos and Kittock returned fire, hitting Mohamed. A Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) report released by the MPD appears to show that Mohamed continued shooting for two minutes, exchanging gunfire with responding officers before they eventually killed him.
Mohamed died of multiple gunshot wounds at the scene.
Officer Mitchell later died at the hospital. Officer Kittock was also injured in the exchange of gunfire, but he was treated and released from the hospital. A Minneapolis firefighter was also injured. Two people who were shot in the apartment, which prompted the initial police response, were killed. They were Mohamed Aden, 36, of Columbia Heights, and Osman Said Jimale, 32, of Minneapolis.
The Minneapolis Fire Department also reported that EMS crews used a fire truck as a shield, attempting to get Mitchell to safety as bullets were flying, the CAD report said. This was also seen on the bodycam video that was released on Friday.
A handgun with an extended magazine that was jammed was recovered at the scene, MPD said.
The CAD report said, before police arrived on the scene, the driver of a Subaru came across the suspect, Mohamed, outside the apartment where he'd reportedly just shot two people. The driver told a 911 dispatcher that he witnessed Mohamed assaulting someone on a motorized scooter, and in an attempt to stop the assault, he rammed him with his car, possibly breaking his leg. The witness said after he hit him, Mohamed reached into his waistband and pulled out what was possibly a gun, and started firing. Police arrived shortly thereafter.
The massive response following the shooting was also highlighted in the data released after the shooting, as more than 100 squad cars responded to the scene over the course of the evening. In addition, police forced entry into at least 16 apartments as they worked to secure the scene.
