Minneapolis officer Jamal Mitchell awarded Medal of Honor, Purple Heart

Minneapolis police officer Jamal Mitchell put on a pair of his “prized Nikes” and took his kids to a pool in late May.

Mitchell’s friend, Luke Weatherspoon, a fellow Minneapolis officer, said Mitchell noticed a child struggling to swim, and jumped in to save them. Mitchell’s Nikes were still on his feet.

“Jamal was the kind of guy who saw someone in distress and everything else went out the window,” Weatherspoon said.

Mitchell, 36, was fatally shot while responding to a 911 call the day after the pool rescue. He was remembered at a memorial service Tuesday as a loyal friend and hero who was committed to serving others. He was also posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and a Purple Heart.

“He was the hero that the city of Minneapolis needed,” Weatherspoon said.

Attendees at the service at Maple Grove Senior High School were given a white and blue rose, which was attached to a card that featured Mitchell’s badge number and the message, “Forever in our hearts.” Mitchell was engaged to be married, and is the father of four.

“As a police officer Jamal served honorably and he was loyal and faithful to his oath until the very end. Such is the sad fate of far too many police officers lately,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said while eulogizing Mitchell in a packed gymnasium with a capacity of about 2,000 people.

Several Minnesota politicians and law enforcement leaders attended the service, including Governor Tim Walz. Mitchell’s aunt, Denise Raper; Mayor Jacob Frey; O’Hara; two friends and Mitchell’s pastor eulogized Mitchell during the hour-and-a-half long ceremony.

The service began at 11 a.m., and was followed by fly-over ceremony. A procession then left the high school and ended at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, where Mitchell’s body was flown to his home state of Connecticut.

Police officers from across the state and country attended, coming from as far away as South Carolina.

Raper read scripture at the service, and said it was Mitchell’s purpose in life to help others.

“This was Jamal’s mission,” she said. “And through our tears and heavy heart, we collectively say mission accomplished.”

Chris Dunker, Mitchell’s neighbor, said Mitchell had a “Colgate smile.” He pulled out a tube of Colgate toothpaste at the end of his remarks, eliciting laughter from the audience. He reminisced on Mitchell’s friendliness and character, and said he was “genuinely the type of person you wanted to be around.”

Frey called Mitchell a “hero,” and said he came to the department for a reason.

“It’s notable that he chose the profession of policing post-2020,” Frey said, referring to a turning point in police-community relations. “It’s even more notable that he affirmatively chose Minneapolis. Of all the places in the world, of all the professions in the world, of all the cities in the world, he chose us.”

George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police in 2020, sparking protests across the city and the world against police brutality. The Minnesota Department of Human Rights and the Department of Justice subsequently investigated Minneapolis police and found patterns of discriminatory policing against communities of color.

O’Hara also referenced what he said was a “negative” perception of police in Minneapolis following 2020. He said Mitchell’s commitment to his job reflected many officers in the department.

“Minneapolis police officer Jamal Mitchell represented all that is good about the men and women of the Minneapolis Police Department,” O’Hara said, “and about police officers around this state and around this country.”

Mitchell was shot and killed on May 30 while responding to a double shooting in south Minneapolis, near 22nd Street and Blaisdell Avenue. Mitchell was attempting to give aid to Mustafa Ahmed Mohamed, 35, about a block away from the shooting when he was ambushed and shot by Mustafa, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA).

Other officers arrived and saw Mustafa shooting Mitchell, the BCA said. Mustafa then shot at the officers, who returned fire and shot Mustafa. Mustafa died at the scene, and Mitchell died at the hospital, according to the BCA.

Mitchell joined the Minneapolis Police Department in 2022, and received an award shortly afterwards for rescuing an elderly couple from a burning house.

In a post shared on the Minneapolis Police Department’s Facebook page, Mitchell’s fiancee, Tori Myslajek, said that her family is “completely devastated” by his death.

“Jamal and I created a beautiful life in Minnesota, and he was deeply passionate about helping and serving the community of Minneapolis,” Myslajek said. “On behalf of our family and from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank our friends, neighbors, loved ones and the entire community for the continued support.”

Myslajek said that Mitchell’s “greatest joys in life” were his children: Koen, 20, Jalen, 9, Kaden, 7 and Macen, 4.

Two other people, Mohamed Bashir Aden and Osman Said Jimale, were killed as a result of the shooting, and three were injured. The incident remains under investigation by the BCA.

Mitchell’s death comes several months after three first responders were killed in Burnsville in February while responding to a domestic abuse call. Two police officers, Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, and a firefighter, Adam Finseth, were fatally shot by Shannon Cortez Gooden.

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