May 31 (UPI) — Three people, including a police officer, were killed and four others were wounded Thursday evening in a shooting in Minneapolis, according to authorities who said the suspect was also among the dead.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey identified the slain Minneapolis police officer in a press conference as 28-year-old Jamal Mitchell.
Frey vowed that his life, service and name will forever be remember by the city of Minneapolis.
“He was a hero, a son, a father, a fiance and an officer who was so deeply committed to protecting and serving. He would run toward danger when the rest of us would run in the other direction,” he said.
“Our whole city right now is grieving.”
The city said in a statment that the shooting began at about 5:15 p.m. when the Minneapolis Police Department received a call of two people shot inside an apartment on the 2200 block of Blaisdell Avenue South.
Upon arrival, the officers came under fire but were able to return fire with the gunman.
Two officers, one of who was Mitchell, were injured in the gunfight, as was the suspect who died at the scene.
The two wounded officers were transported to the Hennepin County Medical Center, where Mitchell was pronounced dead. The other officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said.
At the residence where police were called, officers found two people who had been shot. One was pronounced dead the scene and the other was transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
A man had also been shot while sitting in his car by the residence. He suffered life-threatening injuries and was transported to the hospital, while a firefighter on the scene suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The motive behind the shooting, which is under investigation, was unclear.
“This has been a terrible day for our agency and in law enforcement and its happening all too frequently and it affects so many,” Blackwell said.
Mitchell is the latest law enforcement officer to die in the line of duty.
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, 59 law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty this year, including 22 by gunfire.