Body camera footage released Friday shows a chaotic encounter on a Minneapolis street last month, as officers ran toward a man who just shot one of their own, while bystanders took cover behind a car as gunfire rang out.
Edited video released by the Minneapolis Police Department shows the moments before Officer Jamal Mitchell was fatally shot on May 30, as well as the frantic minutes that followed as officers pleaded with bystanders to help find the shooter, amid the steady sound of gunshots and sirens.
The video shows Mitchell, who was responding to call of a double shooting, walking up to a man he believed was injured. He asks “Who shot you?” twice, and is seen putting on medical gloves. As Mitchell starts talking to a woman nearby, the man on the ground, later identified as 35-year-old Mustafa Mohamed, reveals a handgun — and the video abruptly ends.
Authorities say Mitchell walked into an ambush, and that Mohamed fatally shot him. They have not said whether Mohamed was actually injured or pretending to be hurt as Mitchell approached, but recently released transcripts of 911 calls suggest one caller might have hit Mohamed with a vehicle before Mitchell arrived. The caller reported seeing a man assaulting another man and trying to steal his electric scooter, when the caller rammed the attacker with a vehicle, possibly breaking his leg.
Police Chief Brian O'Hara declined to answer details about the shooting as he released body camera video on Friday, citing the ongoing investigation.
Mitchell's killing stunned a department that has struggled to fill its ranks since the murder of George Floyd and the ensuing turmoil.
The situation began with a report of a double shooting at an apartment complex. The footage released Friday, which was edited and partially redacted, shows Mitchell arriving to the scene and approaching Mohamed, who was lying on the ground, resting against a parked car.
“It looks we have at least two victims outside at the location bleeding,” Mitchell said on police radio before exiting his squad car and walking toward Mohamed.
The video ends before Mohamed fatally shoots Mitchell.
A second clip released Friday shows Officer Luke Kittock carrying a rifle as he sprints toward the shooting. Bystanders hid behind cars as Kittock asked for their help to locate the gunman.
“That guy, that guy!” one person shouted.
Kittock took cover behind a brick wall, as his partner carried a shield. After firing multiple shots, Kittock said Mohamed was down. He and officers then approached Mohamed, questioning whether Mohamed was the only shooter as they worked to handcuff him.
A third clip, from Officer Nicholas Kapinos' body camera, shows Kapinos arriving as shots are being fired. He holds a handgun and asks where the shots are coming from, then radios in, “Cop down. There is a cop down.” Kapinos and his partner run toward the gunfire as firefighters can be seen taking cover behind a fire engine.
The gunfire ended with four dead, including Mitchell and Mohamed. Osman Said Jimale, 32, and Mohamed Aden, 36, were shot inside the apartment building. Three others were injured including an officer, a bystander and a firefighter.
At a June 11 funeral service, Mitchell was memorialized as a hero who exemplified the type of public servant the city’s police force has been trying to recruit amid years of tumult.
