Regarding Jamal Mitchell, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said, “We lost a special human being.”
FOX 9 MINNEAPOLIS – At TCO Performance Center, the Minnesota Vikings are concluding their offseason training program this week.
Kevin O’Connell left the football field on Tuesday to focus on something much more important than football. He was present at Jamal Mitchell’s memorial service. Mitchell was a Minneapolis police officer who was killed in the course of his duty in late May.
Mitchell worked game day operations for the Minneapolis Police Department at U.S. Bank Stadium during the Vikings’ home games. He frequently stood directly outside the Delta Club, which is where O’Connell, the coaches, and the players enter the field from the changing area. On Tuesday, O’Connell stated that he felt compelled to back Mitchell and the Minneapolis Police Department.
Even though it was O’Connell’s first police officer memorial service, he noted that he comes from a family of law enforcement officers.
“My thoughts and prayers are with his family and the Minneapolis Police Department first and foremost. It was just such an unbelievable tragedy, but there were really a few reasons why I was there to support him. A) I wanted to be there during a very trying time to support the law enforcement community. With a family history of law enforcement, the more I learned about Jamal, his philosophy, and his plans to join the Minneapolis Police Department, the more it resonated with me, O’Connell said.
In a little over a year, Mitchell is the eleventh police officer or first responder to die while performing their duties in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
I felt a connection to him because I spent the most of my two years there. A quick fist bump or high five here and there as you move in and out. Just to put a face to a name and let you know that we lost a unique father, friend, and someone who truly dedicated his entire life to serving others. If nothing else, I was moved to pay my respects and was amazed at how the law enforcement community pulled together during a very trying time. Something I’ve never had the opportunity to witness firsthand before. Amazing tragedy, you hope it doesn’t happen as frequently as it has,” O’Connell remarked.
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