On a gray Minneapolis Saturday, city leaders and the family of Officer Jamal Mitchell stood at a familiar Whittier intersection and watched a new name go up. A stretch of Blaisdell Avenue now carries a second title: “Officer Jamal Mitchell Way,” marking the corner where the 36-year-old officer was shot while responding to a call in May 2024.
Mayor Jacob Frey, top Minneapolis police officials, Mitchell’s partner, Tori Myslajek, and members of his family joined neighbors for the unveiling. City officials said the commemorative name is meant to serve as a permanent reminder of Mitchell’s service and sacrifice, and Saturday’s ceremony capped a formal process the City Council approved this spring to add the honorary designation.
The council voted unanimously to add the commemorative name to a one-block stretch of Blaisdell between West Franklin Avenue and West 22nd Street, and crews have already installed the new signs, according to the Star Tribune. A city planning staff report filed with the Department of Public Works shows that Mayor Frey and Police Chief Brian O’Hara submitted the petition. The report notes that the honorary designation does not change the primary street name or interfere with emergency services, per the Minneapolis staff report.
The shooting that led to the tribute
Mitchell was ambushed and fatally shot while responding to a shots-fired call in May 2024. Officials said he stopped to render aid and was then struck. The attack unfolded in the Whittier neighborhood and left multiple people wounded and two civilians dead in addition to Mitchell. The suspect, identified as Mustafa Ahmed Mohamed, died after an exchange of gunfire with officers, according to the AP…