Minneapolis Officer Killed in Ambush; Shooter Identified as Mustafa Mohamed

(KNSI) – The man who shot and killed a Minneapolis officer late last week has been identified.

On Thursday, 35-year-old Mustafa Mohamed sprung a trap that led to the death of Minneapolis Police’s Jamal Mitchell. A preliminary investigation shows Mitchell arriving at an incident at an apartment complex on the 2200 block of Blaisdell Avenue on the city’s south end.

He radioed that there were two men hurt out in the street. Mitchell moved quickly to the one closest to his car. BCA officials say that Mitchell wanted to ensure that neither needed immediate medical attention. He asked Mohamed if he was injured, thinking he was a victim of the gunfire. Mohamed responded by pulling out a handgun and shooting Mitchell.

When backup arrived on the scene, they could witness Mohamed still firing at Mitchell’s body as it lay on the ground. Mohamed then turned on the second set of officers. They returned fire, hitting Mohamed multiple times and killing him. The officers credited with killing him had a combined 19 years of law enforcement experience.

The BCA says Mohamed was using a handgun with an extended magazine, which was recovered at the scene. The agency is investigating the shooting, as well as a homicide inside one of the apartments at the complex. It will release its full findings in the future. Both of the officers named by the BCA Saturday are on administrative leave until the examination is complete, which Is standard procedure following a use-of-force incident.

The shootings happened before 6:00 p.m. Thursday.

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