Heroic officer shot and killed in line of duty during Minneapolis shooting

A Minneapolis police officer was shot and killed on Thursday while responding to an active shooting incident in the Whittier neighborhood. A civilian was also killed and the gunman shot several other people, including another officer and a firefighter.

Officer Jamal Mitchell, 36, was identified by the Minneapolis Police Department on Friday as the officer who died. Officials remembered him as a "hero" who ran "towards danger" while others ran away from it.

Assistant police chief Katie Blackwell said officers responded to a shooting around 5:15 pm at an apartment complex in the Whittier neighborhood. The caller said two people had been shot. Upon arrival, a suspect shot at police, and officers returned fire.

Officer Mitchell tried to render aid to the victims when he arrived on the scene. One of the victims turned out to be the gunman who then shot and killed Mitchell. Police shot the suspect and killed him. Another officer was injured in the shooting.

Police located three civilian victims and a firefighter who were also shot, one of the civilians died at the scene.

The officer and firefighter sustained non-life-threatening injuries, while the two civilians sustained life-threatening injuries, police said. One of the civilians was found shot in his vehicle, and another in an apartment complex.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said Mitchell "was a hero, a son, a father, a fiance and an officer who is so deeply committed to protecting and serving. He would run towards danger when the rest of us would run in the other direction."

The mayor added that Mitchell "gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect and save the lives of others."

"We will honor his sacrifice. We will remember his name. We will never forget what he did for the people of our city," he said.

Officer Mitchell received a life-saving award on his third day of being a police officer. He ran into a building engulfed in flames with another officer and rescued an elderly couple.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said, "There are not words to appropriately describe this tragedy. It's the worst call a police chief can receive."

"He died a hero. He died doing what we asked him to do for the rest of us," said O'Hara.

Investigators are working to determine a motive behind the shooting.