Minneapolis honors fallen officer Jamal Mitchell with renamed street

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minneapolis Police Officer Jamal Mitchell, who was killed in the line of duty on May 30, 2024, while responding to an active shooting, will be commemorated with a street renamed for him near the intersection where he died.

Officer Mitchell street renaming

What we know:

On Thursday, council members unanimously approved a petition to rename Blaisdell Avenue between Franklin Avenue W. and 22nd Street West in south Minneapolis to Officer Jamal Mitchell Way.

What they're saying:

"There’s not a day that goes by that Jamal is forgotten… He was a man that stepped forward while everyone else was fleeing. He lived his life every day for the people of this community in a way that lives up to the highest expectations we could have as a public servant," Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said before the council on Thursday.

"We want to honor Officer Mitchell and the deep sacrifice he made for this city. He gave his life while protecting our community – these actions show the courage, dedication and compassion he carried every day," council member Jamal Osman said prior to the vote.

The backstory:

According to officials, the shooting happened at an apartment building on May 30 along Blaisdell Avenue near 22nd Street, and left six people shot, including four civilians.

While en route to the report of a shooting, Officer Mitchell was shot in what authorities later described as an "ambush."

Mitchell had stopped to provide aid to a man who appeared to be a victim, but the man instead shot him, authorities said.

A second officer then exchanged gunfire with the suspect, who died at the scene.

Mitchell had been with the Minneapolis Police Department since 2022, and was sworn in by Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara.

FOX 9 previously reported on Officer Mitchell's heroic actions in 2023 when he ran into the burning home to rescue a couple.

Mitchell, who was 36, was engaged to be married and had four children.