The Minneapolis police officer gunned down in an ambush-style attack tried to help the suspect who initially pretended to be a victim in need of medical assistance during Thursday’s mass shooting, according to officials.

Officer Jamal Mitchell, 28, responded to the shooting inside an apartment in the city’s trendy Whittier neighborhood, but rushed out of his car to aid victims about two blocks away from where the shooting was reported, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said in a press conference Thursday evening.

A man he had tried helping ended up being the suspect, who gunned down the “courageous hero” who had been with the department for “less than two years.”

Another officer arrived and was shot during a shootout with the gunman.

The unnamed suspect died on the scene despite life-saving efforts by officers, Minneapolis Assistant Police Chief Katie Blackwell said.

Both officers were transported to Hennepin County Medical Center, where Mitchell died of his injuries, according to officials.

The second officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was released.

An innocent bystander and Minneapolis firefighter were also shot and taken to a hospital in critical condition, Evans said. Their current conditions remain unknown.

Police were responding to a call of a double shooting at an apartment complex in the south Minneapolis neighborhood of Whittier.

Inside an apartment, police found two gunshot victims.

One was pronounced dead at the scene and the other was hospitalized in critical condition, Evans said.

“We believe this is isolated to the two different locations,” Evans said. “We believe that the two individuals in the apartment had some level of acquaintance with each other.”

The connection between the two shootings was not immediately clear, but Evans asked for “patience” as police entered the early stage of the investigation.

However, Evans was adamant the shooter launched a surprise attack against Mitchell.

“I’ve seen the video, and he was ambushed,” he said. “I’m using the term for a reason.”

After the shooting, dozens of cops flocked to Hennepin County Medical Center in downtown Minneapolis, where several were seen sobbing and consoling each other.

Mitchell had been with the department for about 18 months and was a father who was engaged to be married.

As the city grapples with the tragedy of Mitchell’s death, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said, “His life, his service, and his name will forever be remembered in the City of Minneapolis.”

“Today the City of Minneapolis lost a courageous hero. Officer Jamal Mitchell was a father, a son, a fiancé, and a beloved member of our Minneapolis Police Department. Today, he made the ultimate sacrifice to protect and save the lives of others,” Frey said in a statement.

“Our hearts go out to Officer Mitchell’s family and loved ones, to the families of the victims of this senseless tragedy and to the members of our extraordinary police department who are grieving.”

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara chillingly said there are “no words to appropriately describe this tragedy.”

“Jamal lived a life of purpose and make no mistake: Jamal made a difference in other people’s lives. That’s what cops do,” O’Hara said.

“I am angry and I am hurt by an attack on our officers, but this is a tragedy I was praying we would not have to face. As police officers, we know dying in the line of duty is always a possibility, but the harsh reality hurts very deeply when it happens.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz posted on X that the “entire state is mourning as Minneapolis reels from this tragedy.”

“I’m grateful to the first responders who worked to keep the community safe from further harm,” Walz wrote. “We must never take their bravery for granted.”

Before he was killed in the line of duty, Mitchell had received an award on only his third day with the department for saving two lives with fellow Officer Zachery Randall in February 2023, the department shared on Facebook.

Both officers raced into a house on fire with total disregard for their own safety and “rescued an elderly couple before their home was completely engulfed in flames.”

“Their quick actions … were truly heroic, as they prevented this fire from being even more tragic,” O’Hara said in the post.