Minnesota will not charge officers who shot and killed Amir Locke
Mr Locke’s killing sparked protests and further drove criticism aimed at ‘no-knock’ warrants
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Minnesota prosecutors have declined to file charges against the Minneapolis SWAT team that fatally shot Amir Locke during an early morning no-knock raid at the apartment where he was staying.
According to the Associated Press, state Attorney General Keith Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Michael Freeman determined that Minneapolis police officer Mark Hanneman was justified in firing his weapon.
“There is insufficient admissible evidence to file criminal charges in this case. Specifically, the State would be unable to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt any of the elements of Minnesota’s use-of-deadly-force statute that authorizes the use of force by Officer Hanneman,” Mr Ellison and Mr Freeman said in a joint statement.
The duo also criticised no-knock warrants in their statement.
“Amir Locke is a victim,” they wrote. “This tragedy may not have occurred absent the no-knock warrant used in this case.”
Mr Locke’s mother, Karen Wells, disagreed with the judgement.
“You are guilty,” she said after the announcement.
Mr Locke, 22, was killed when a SWAT team burst into his apartment without knocking. The officers were investigating a homicide in St Paul and obtained a warrant to search the apartment where Mr Locke was staying.
The family members of Mr Locke’s who have witnessed the body camera footage of the day he died said it appeared as though he had been startled awake before police shot him.
Ms Wells called her son’s death “an execution”.
Mr Locke was not named in the search warrant. Police claim Mr Locke pointed a gun at them, which prompted police to fire on him. Mr Locke’s family rejected that claim, though body camera footage does show Mr Locke holding a pistol.
Critics of no-knock raids have pointed out that it is not unreasonable for someone to arm themselves when a group of people burst into their homes unannounced in the middle of night.
“[No-knock] Warrants create chaotic, confusing circumstances that put everyone present at risk and those people are disproportionately marginalized people of color,” Ben Crump, the attorney representing Mr Locke’s family, said during a press conference shortly after his client’s death.
Mr Ellison and Mr Freeman also expressed their desire to see an end to no-knock warrants.
“Local, state, and federal policy makers should seriously weigh the benefits of no-knock warrants, which are dangerous for both law enforcement and the public alike. Other cities, like Saint Paul, and some states, have ended the use of no-knock warrants entirely,” they wrote in their statement.
The shooting kicked off protests from individuals who believe Mr Locke’s death was the result of police racial bias and police carelessness.
In the police body camera footage, the officers break through the front door and, as they are entering, begin shouting “Police, search warrant!”, “Hands!”, and “Get on the ground!”
An officer walks up to a sofa, where Mr Locke is curled up under a comforter, and kicks it. When the comforter is pulled back, Mr Locke can be seen holding a gun. Police then fired on him and killed him.
Officers arrived at the apartment – which belonged to Mr Locke’s cousin, Mekhi Camden Speed – to investigate the killing of Otis Elder. Mr Speed has since been charged with two counts of second-degree murder related to Mr Elder’s death.