CBS News
Family, friends remember fallen MPD officer Jamal Mitchell’s “big heart”
MINNEAPOLIS — Jamal Mitchell’s friends remember him as a changemaker. His family knew him to be a peacekeeper.
The 38-year-old Minneapolis police officer was determined to make the city a better place for all its residents.
“Jamal had a big heart,” said his mother, Janet Edwards. “He really loved people.”
Mitchell was killed in a mass shooting in the Whittier neighborhood of south Minneapolis on Thursday evening that left two others dead, including the shooter. Four people were injured.
Police say he was trying to provide medical care to someone when that person shot him. He died later at the hospital.
His parents said getting the call that their son died doing what he loved was a shock, but at the same time, it wasn’t.
“It was a career that he wanted to pursue, and he chose that,” said his stepfather, Dennis Edwards. “Like they say, he never turned away from people, helping people, or being there to serve with people.”
Mitchell grew up in New Haven, Connecticut; one of 12 children in a blended family. He had a twin, Jamel, but he was the quieter of the two. His parents said he was the peacekeeper of the family.
“He always had a positive attitude about everything. He was never negative,” said Janet Edwards. “He would always turn that around and make it better for everyone.”
Janet and Dennis Edwards say Mitchell was proud to wear the uniform. He wanted to change community-police relations.
Minneapolis Police Department
Mitchell was a regular at Lotus Restaurant in Loring Park, where he quickly became a favorite of all who worked there.
“He had that sense of humor and that human factor to him that’s easily approachable,” said Yoom Nguyen with Lotus Restaurant. “He goes above and beyond, if that makes sense. You know you could count on him.”
Now, an empty chair sits where Mitchell once enjoyed his favorite meal. Nguyen said Mitchell made sure people hanging outside the restaurant were treated with dignity and respect by connecting them with the resources to improve their lives.
Civil Rights activist Michael Wilson says MPD needs more officers like Mitchell.
“He wanted to make change. True change,” Wilson said. “We talked a lot about these changes.”
Wilson said his bravery, compassion, and love of people will be remembered.
Mitchell’s parents want people to never forget their son’s sacrifice.
“I’m grateful that he went, that he did his job,” said Janet Edwards. “I want to say, ‘well done Jamal. Well done, well done.’ I’m proud that he was my son.”
Mitchell was a father of three: two boys and one girl. He was a fiancé, a brother, an uncle, and a dear friend to many.
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
CBS Philadelphia
Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.