By Crime Watch MN
MINNEAPOLIS – The Minneapolis Police Department on Friday released a compilation of police body-worn camera videos from the May 30 shooting murder of Officer Jamal Mitchell and the subsequent police response to the “active shooter” incident.
The video from Officer Mitchell’s camera stopped short of showing the actual shooting of Officer Mitchell by suspect Mustafa Ahmed Mohamed, but was slowed down to show the gun in Mohamed’s hand as Officer Mitchell approached.
MPD Chief Brian O’Hara explained that Officer Mitchell had responded to a report of a double shooting and arrived upon what he thought was the scene of the shooting with two people who appeared to be down and injured in the street, one of them being Mohamed. The actual shooting scene was over a block away, however.
When Officer Mitchell approached Mohamed to offer aid, Mitchell could be heard saying, “Who shot you?” before Mohamed could be seen raising his gun.
Chief O’Hara said that Officer Mitchell never even had time to draw his own handgun before he was shot.
A gun is seen in Mustafa Mohamed’s hand in a still from MPD video. (Minneapolis Police Department)
Frantic dispatch audio from the incident captured other officers reporting that shots were continuing to be fired as they arrived and that there was a “cop down” in the street.
Further body camera video from the two officers who ended up shooting and killing Mohamed showed firefighters already on scene who were trying to take cover behind the fire rig. One firefighter received a non-life-threatening injury from gunfire during the incident.
Body-worn camera videos from Officers Nick Kapinos and Luke Kittock show them approaching the scene on foot with rifles and handguns drawn and using a body shield for protection.
Several bystanders can be seen taking cover behind vehicles and trying to point out the active shooter to police.
Mohamed was eventually shot and killed by the two officers, a later statement by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said. Officer Kittock was injured in the exchange of gunfire and could be seen bleeding from the hand in the videos.
Police officers respond to the shooting that killed Officer Jamal Mitchell. (Minneapolis Police Department)
The videos revealed confusion at the scene, as police were still not certain if there were other shooters even after they had neutralized Mohamed.
Mohamed’s gun, which was recovered from the scene, was reported to be a Glock 26 with an extended magazine, and it was jammed at the time of recovery.
The other person who was injured in the street near Mohamed had been shot, the BCA said, presumably by Mohamed before police arrived.
It was later revealed that Mohamed was the suspect in the double shooting which had occurred on the 2200 block of Blaisdell Avenue South. One person inside an apartment at that location died at the scene, another died days later.
Chief O’Hara said during the video release press conference that officers in the Minneapolis Police Department face these type of dangerous incidents daily in the course of their work where they are confronted with armed suspects. O’Hara said often people “do not appreciate the complexity of responding to these incidents,” which are legitimate emergencies, he said. “Incidents that people never hear about are safely resolved,” and officers are doing their jobs and doing them well, he said.
The incident continues to be investigated by the BCA, and more details are expected to be released when the investigation is complete.
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
This article appeared at Alpha News and was reprinted with permission.
