Minneapolis Police fatally shoot Amir Locke during no-knock warrant raid

Seriously, what’s really going on in Minneapolis?!

Source: Stephen Maturen / Getty

The fatal police shooting of Amir Locke has drawn a tragic comparison to the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor. The issue of no-knock warrants has become a major point of contention since police in Louisville, Kentucky killed the 26-year-old who had nothing to do with their negligent investigation. Locke was killed by Minneapolis Police Department officer Mark Hanneman this past Wednesday while he and his SWAT boys conducted a no-knock warrant. It was there where they encountered Locke who was not a resident there nor named in the warrant that authorities had received for their homicide investigation. The video shows Hanneman kicking Locke off the couch that was he fast asleep on. When the legal concealed carry licensee awoke with a loaded gun in his hand he was immediately shot down. According to Newsweek, the body camera video of the incident shows inconsistencies in the police report provided to the press.

The video as shown on WCCO in Minnesota shows everything up to the moment of the shooting. Still, we want to acknowledge that the footage is disturbing and you should take your own mental health into serious consideration before viewing it.

Minneapolis Police issued a statement claiming that they “loudly and repeatedly announced their presence, crossed the threshold of the apartment, and advanced with continued loud announcements of their presence.” However, the video clearly shows an officer opening the door with a key and none of the officers state their presence or purpose until they were deep inside the apartment.

Others, like Minnesota Senator Omar Fateh, are also pointing out the fact that a previously sleeping person has no idea what is going on or any ability to react to commands in an instant. It stands to reason that a law-abiding gun owner would stand clear of his weapon if he knew that police were about to enter the premises so that he doesn’t make himself appear to be a threat. Can’t do that if you’re unconscious.

The name Amir Locke is not going away. The long-side-eyed Minneapolis Police Department will again be under scrutiny for taking the life of a Black person. We’ll be watching.