See link at end of post #2 for the video of the shooting.
The Black man, who was not the subject of the warrant, was beneath a blanket as the officers entered the apartment; a handgun emerged in his right hand before one of the officers fired 3 times.
Ben Crump is representing the family.
By Libor Jany, Paul Walsh and Abby Simons
Minneapolis Star Tribune
FEBRUARY 3, 2022 — 10:15PM
Minneapolis police body camera video released Thursday night showed several officers rushing into a downtown apartment shouting "Search warrant!" and then shooting and killing Amir Locke as he stirred beneath a blanket on a couch with a gun in his hand.
The 55-second video, first in slow motion and then real time, shows the SWAT officers enter and close in on the 22-year-old Locke with their guns drawn and equipped with mounted lights that illuminated the otherwise dark apartment. The incident Wednesday morning unfolded in seconds before Locke was shot and killed.
The officers were at the seventh-floor unit of the Bolero Flats Apartment Homes, at 1117 S. Marquette Av., shortly before 7 a.m. to serve a search warrant in connection with a St. Paul homicide investigation.
The Star Tribune learned earlier Thursday that Locke, a Black man, was not the subject of the warrant. Interim Minneapolis police chief Amelia Huffman confirmed late Thursday that Locke was not named in the warrant.
The video shows police turning the key quietly. As soon as the door was opened, multiple officers yelled, "Police search warrant! ... Get on the [expletive] ground!"
Locke is moving beneath the blanket, a handgun emerging in his right hand before one of the officers fires three times, knocking Locke to the floor. That's where the released video stops.
Amir Locke's parents, Andre and Karen Locke, declined to comment about the shooting, other than his mother saying, "We want justice for our son." Jeff Storms, an attorney representing the family, confirmed earlier Thursday that Locke's family viewed the video before its release.
Storms is partnering with civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who has won significant financial settlements for several families across the country who have lost loved ones to police violence in recent years, including a record $27 million settlement with the city of Minneapolis for the family of George Floyd.
The Locke family plans to hold a news conference Friday morning.
Authorities identified the officer who fired the fatal shots as Mark Hanneman. Huffman coordinated the video release with investigators at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) "without compromising the integrity of their investigation or their ability to collect evidence," read a statement from City Hall.
Crump and Storms said Locke has several family members in law enforcement and has no criminal history, and he was in legal possession of a firearm at the time of his death. Locke would not have been required to have a permit to possess the weapon in a private residence.
"Like the case of Breonna Taylor, the tragic killing of Amir Locke shows a pattern of no-knock warrants having deadly consequences for Black Americans," Crump said in a statement. "This is yet another example of why we need to put an end to these kinds of search warrants so that one day, Black Americans will be able to sleep safely in their beds at night."
Three sources from separate law enforcement agencies told the Star Tribune that Locke was not the target of the St. Paul homicide investigation. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case remains under BCA investigation.
Police officials said that a loaded handgun was recovered at the scene.
One of Amir Locke's cousins said Thursday there was nothing violent and hot-tempered about him.
"He was totally the opposite," said 21-year-old Ervin Locke Jr., who recalled the two of them catching up on the phone just last week. "All he did was crack jokes."
The Black man, who was not the subject of the warrant, was beneath a blanket as the officers entered the apartment; a handgun emerged in his right hand before one of the officers fired 3 times.
Ben Crump is representing the family.
Video: Amir Locke, under blanket, holds gun as Minneapolis police officers enter, fire 3 shots
The 55-second video shows officers at the downtown Minneapolis apartment unit to serve a search warrant in connection with a St. Paul homicide investigation. Locke was not the subject of the warrant.By Libor Jany, Paul Walsh and Abby Simons
Minneapolis Star Tribune
FEBRUARY 3, 2022 — 10:15PM
Minneapolis police body camera video released Thursday night showed several officers rushing into a downtown apartment shouting "Search warrant!" and then shooting and killing Amir Locke as he stirred beneath a blanket on a couch with a gun in his hand.
The 55-second video, first in slow motion and then real time, shows the SWAT officers enter and close in on the 22-year-old Locke with their guns drawn and equipped with mounted lights that illuminated the otherwise dark apartment. The incident Wednesday morning unfolded in seconds before Locke was shot and killed.
The officers were at the seventh-floor unit of the Bolero Flats Apartment Homes, at 1117 S. Marquette Av., shortly before 7 a.m. to serve a search warrant in connection with a St. Paul homicide investigation.
The Star Tribune learned earlier Thursday that Locke, a Black man, was not the subject of the warrant. Interim Minneapolis police chief Amelia Huffman confirmed late Thursday that Locke was not named in the warrant.
The video shows police turning the key quietly. As soon as the door was opened, multiple officers yelled, "Police search warrant! ... Get on the [expletive] ground!"
Locke is moving beneath the blanket, a handgun emerging in his right hand before one of the officers fires three times, knocking Locke to the floor. That's where the released video stops.
Amir Locke's parents, Andre and Karen Locke, declined to comment about the shooting, other than his mother saying, "We want justice for our son." Jeff Storms, an attorney representing the family, confirmed earlier Thursday that Locke's family viewed the video before its release.
Storms is partnering with civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who has won significant financial settlements for several families across the country who have lost loved ones to police violence in recent years, including a record $27 million settlement with the city of Minneapolis for the family of George Floyd.
The Locke family plans to hold a news conference Friday morning.
Authorities identified the officer who fired the fatal shots as Mark Hanneman. Huffman coordinated the video release with investigators at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) "without compromising the integrity of their investigation or their ability to collect evidence," read a statement from City Hall.
Crump and Storms said Locke has several family members in law enforcement and has no criminal history, and he was in legal possession of a firearm at the time of his death. Locke would not have been required to have a permit to possess the weapon in a private residence.
"Like the case of Breonna Taylor, the tragic killing of Amir Locke shows a pattern of no-knock warrants having deadly consequences for Black Americans," Crump said in a statement. "This is yet another example of why we need to put an end to these kinds of search warrants so that one day, Black Americans will be able to sleep safely in their beds at night."
Three sources from separate law enforcement agencies told the Star Tribune that Locke was not the target of the St. Paul homicide investigation. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case remains under BCA investigation.
Police officials said that a loaded handgun was recovered at the scene.
One of Amir Locke's cousins said Thursday there was nothing violent and hot-tempered about him.
"He was totally the opposite," said 21-year-old Ervin Locke Jr., who recalled the two of them catching up on the phone just last week. "All he did was crack jokes."
