Hennepin County cops who killed Amir Locke will not face criminal charges

Minneapolis Police Won’t Be Criminally Charged For Amir Locke’s Death

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Amir Locke was gunned down by Minneapolis police officers who were serving a no-knock warrant to a house where he was sound asleep. The tragic incident is a painful reminder of the police incompetence that claimed Breonna Taylor’s life in Louisville, Kentucky. Sadly, his death also mirrors Breonna’s in another hurtful way as the officers responsible for killing Amir will not be held criminally liable for their actions.

Today, a CNN report announced that no charges will be brought against the trigger happy boys involved. Locke was in legal possession of a firearm when police kicked down the door at the apartment where he laid asleep for the night. He had no idea who the men bursting through the door were and he awakened, startled and confused as anyone would be. Let the authorities tell it, Locke raised the gun as officers approached him and was shot instantly. Locke was not the target of the warrant, his cousin was.

“After a thorough review of all available evidence … there is insufficient admissible evidence to file criminal charges in this case,” according to a statement from the county attorney and state attorney general released Wednesday.

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“These circumstances are such that an objectively reasonable officer in Officer (Mark) Hanneman’s position would have perceived an immediate threat of death or great bodily harm that was reasonably likely to occur, and an objectively reasonable officer would not delay in using deadly force,” according to the statement from Attorney General Keith Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Michael Freeman.