DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Palus Politicus Killer Cops

Another black man killed in his home by police without charges and not named on warrant.

Minneapolis police kill a Black man while executing a no-knock warrant

A controversial police shooting in Minneapolis is under review after a team of SWAT officers killed Amir Locke on Wednesday seconds after they burst into an apartment to serve a no-knock warrant.

"Amir Locke's life mattered," Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement sent to NPR. "He was only 22 years old and had his whole life ahead of him."

Ellison says his office is working with the Hennepin County Attorney's Office to review and decide whether to bring criminal charges in the case, which comes less than two years after Minneapolis police killed George Floyd.

Seconds before police killed him Wednesday morning, Locke appeared to be asleep on a couch, under a blanket. The video from an officer-worn camera shows that Locke, who is Black, had a gun in his hand. But both the authorities and Locke's attorneys agree that he was not the subject of the warrant that police were attempting to execute.

The Hennepin County medical examiner released a statement on Locke's death Friday, stating that he "died of multiple gunshot wounds and manner of death is homicide."

The officer in the case has been put on paid administrative leave while Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigates the killing.

Locke's family has retained attorneys Ben Crump and Jeff Storms. In a statement sent to NPR, Crump's office said that Locke "has several family members in law enforcement and no past criminal history," adding that he "legally possessed a firearm at the time of his death."

"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. "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."

The video was released Thursday night, providing new details about what happened when police came to the apartment where Locke was sleeping shortly before 7 a.m. on Wednesday.

In the footage, an officer is seen carefully inserting a key into the door at the apartment, as the rest of the SWAT team stands ready.

"Police search warrant!" they yell as they enter the dark apartment, holding pistols and flashlights. The footage shows officers approaching a couch where a man, later identified as Locke, is under a blanket. "Get on the ground! Get on the f***ing ground!" an officer shouts.

As Locke moves, the video shows that he's holding a pistol. The officers open fire. From the time the door opens to the shooting, about 9 seconds elapse, according to the video.

"This video raises about as many questions as it answers," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said, according to member station Minnesota Public Radio. "We intend to get answers as quickly as possible."

MPR adds that the search warrant that brought police to the apartment where Locke was sleeping stemmed from a homicide investigation in St. Paul, Minnesota.

https://www.npr.org/2022/02/04/1078313707/amir-locke-killed-minneapolis-police-no-knock-warrant

It doesn't matter that a Dem is in the White House, BLM needs to protest again. 2A people need to sound off because his gun was 100% legal.

They picked the lock, opened the door and burst in on a sleeping man with a gun, and shot him in seven seconds. I know I would not be functional enough to understand what was going on in 7 seconds under those conditions. AND THIS COULD HAPPEN TO ANYONE, but it happens disproportionately to blacks. I don't understand why this is so hard. Just stop killing on sight of a gun. Maybe the first rounds should be rubber? No idea how the cops should address it, but it must be addressed, because the status quo is unacceptable.

I don't agree with no-knock warrants unless they believe someone else's life is in danger. Like a childs or something.

From an incident in Denver back in December:

In this case, the police didn't shoot first and got shot instead.

Here's the problem. This wasn't rogue police officers who decided on their own to break into an apartment for no reason. They were sent there and a legal process allowed them to enter without knocking. They saw the gun in the mans hand and acted accordingly. Unless of course you just think the cops should do nothing when they see someone brandishing a gun out from underneath the covers? You title the thread "Killer Cops" when it's the process that is flawed. Eve summed it up pretty well.....


What we have is a problem with the process. The system allows for no knock warrants. If you are being awakened from your sleep you may not yet be aware of who is coming into your home. As such, a homeowner or occupant of that residence has a right to defend their property or person by brandishing a firearm. The cops have the right to protect themselves from being shot.

So what we end up with is s system that sets up a scenario to where both the cops and the person residing in the home follow legal procedure and the law and an innocent person ends up dying. That's a flawed system and not "Killer Cops".

You are right, 100%! I stand corrected. There is a 400-year-old problem with the process. Since it's black history month, maybe GOPers will be able to understand that. And cops who kill the innocent, which this man was, are killer cops no matter what put them in that situation. No amount of training or procedures will ever make cops take time to think before they blow somebody away. Scared cops kill first, and sort the situation after. Killer cops.

I think you did not read Pitt's post at all.

But by all means, continue with your CRAZY.

You love generalities instead on looking at each case on an individual basis. That's why so many people treat all such cases like The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Your description does not fit this case. But you do you.

I'm not going to play your game, Pit. You have your view, and I have mine. Yours is disappointing, but that's what I expect from a centrist, half measures. Maybe this family just needs thoughts and prayers to heal, huh? Cops who kill innocent people are killer cops, period.


Innocent – not guilty of a crime or offense. Procedure might have put the cops there, but it didn't pull the trigger. Killer cops did.

If you call looking at each case on an individual basis instead of trying to lump them all together as being the same while ignoring the facts of what happened as half measures I would suggest you have no idea what half measures mean.

Yes the cops did kill a man who pulled out a gun as they entered. This isn't the same as George Floyd. Next time maybe the cops should wait to see if man who pulled out a gun is going to shoot them first. At least that way he would have committed a crime, right?

Let me ask you, if a man pulls out a gun on you, do you have the right to shoot him or do you have to wait and see if he is going to shoot you first? Inquiring minds want to know.

Still not going to play your game. You will never change my mind.

I understand how avoiding questions and points you have no answer for would serve you well right now. Can't say I blame you.

NOPE. Not playing. You do this day in and out on here. I'm right, you're whatever.

It's getting pretty hard to understand what the heck is going on in the USA.

This.

I hope they shed some light on the real problem this time... the no-knock and its issuing.

'My son Amir was a law-abiding citizen': Family of Amir Locke speaks out at press conference
Locke, 22, was killed during the execution of a "no-knock" search warrant.

ByAdia Robinson andKendall Ross
February 4, 2022, 8:20 PM
• 7 min read



Amir Locke, 22, was fatally shot by a Minneapolis police officer serving a search warrant...Read More
Minneapolis Police Department via AFP via Getty Images
The parents of Amir Locke spoke out at a press conference Friday alongside civil rights attorneys Ben Crump, Jeff Storms and Antonio Romanucci following the killing of the 22-year-old earlier this week.

Locke was fatally shot by Minneapolis police officers in an apartment early Wednesday morning. Body camera footage released on Thursday shows officers executing a "no-knock" search warrant before coming across Locke, who had been sleeping under a blanket on the couch. He is seen holding a gun as he begins to sit up, still covered with the blanket, before he is shot less than 10 seconds after officers entered the room.




Locke was not named in the "no-knock" warrant, Crump said at the press conference. The warrant was being executed on behalf of St. Paul police, who were searching for a homicide suspect.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner has ruled Locke's death a homicide.

"My son Amir was a law-abiding citizen who did not have a criminal history," his father, Andre Locke, said at the press conference. "My son Amir was loved by many of us, by our family and many people, everyone that he came in touch with. My son Amir did what was right. He did all the things that he was supposed to do."


Locke's parents became emotional discussing their son's killing, saying that he was a good kid working in the music industry and an entrepreneur who wanted to help the youth.

His mother, Karen Wells, said she struggled to watch the body camera footage.

"I could not watch it," she said. "But when I finally was able to see parts of that video when they released it yesterday -- a mother should never have to see her child executed in that type of manner."

The officer who shot and killed Locke was identified by police as Mark Hanneman. In accordance with policy, he's been place on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation into the incident.

PHOTO: Amir Locke's mother Karen Wells speaks flanked by his father Andre Locke, during a press conference at City Hall in Minneapolis, on Feb. 4, 2022.
Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images
Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images
Amir Locke's mother Karen Wells speaks flanked by his father Andre Locke, during a pres...Read More
Crump, who is representing the Locke family with Storms and Romanucci, said that he was "shocked," as he reflected on Locke's death. According to MinnPost, Minneapolis announced that it had changed its policy on "no-knock" search warrants and restricted their use after Breonna Taylor was killed in a similar situation in 2020. Minneapolis was one of several cities to make the change.

Minneapolis police still use "no-knock" search warrants in limited cases. Interim Minneapolis Police Chief Amelia Huffman said at a Thursday press conference that "both a no-knock and a knock search warrant were obtained ... so that the SWAT team could assess the circumstances and make the best possible decision."

"If we learned anything from Breonna Taylor, it is that 'no-knock' warrants have deadly consequences for innocent, law-abiding Black citizens," Crump said.

"We have a city that just refuses to learn," Storms added, referring to George Floyd's 2020 murder in Minneapolis and David Smith's 10 years earlier.


Romanucci said that Locke was "doomed to die," because of the way that the police department carried out the raid.

"Had they announced who they were and why they were there, this tragedy could have been averted," he said at the press conference. "But because they executed in the manner in which they did, Amir was doomed to die."

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey issued a moratorium on "no knock" warrants late Friday.

"No matter what information comes to light, it won't change the fact that Amir Locke's life was cut short," Frey said in a statement. "To ensure safety of both the public and officers until a new policy is crafted, I'm issuing a moratorium on both the request and execution of such warrants in Minneapolis."

Locke's family said at the press conference that he had a license to carry the gun in his possession on Wednesday, though this has not been confirmed by ABC News. His father also said he was mentored by relatives who had a background in law enforcement.

The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus issued a statement on Friday addressing the shooting, saying that it was "completely avoidable."

"Black men, like all citizens, have a right to keep and bear arms. Black men, like all citizens, have the right to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable search and seizure," said Chair Bryan Strawser. The organization called for an independent investigation into the circumstances around Locke's death.

PHOTO: This screen grab taken from Minneapolis Police Department body camera footage and made available on Feb. 3, 2022, shows Amir Locke lying on a sofa under a blanket and holding a gun before being shot by police in Minneapolis.
Minneapolis Police Department via AFP via Getty Images
Minneapolis Police Department via AFP via Getty Images
This screen grab taken from Minneapolis Police Department body camera footage and m...Read More
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison will work with the Hennepin County Attorney's Office to review Locke's death, the office said in a press release Friday.

Locke's parents are committed to getting justice for their son.

"As his mother, I will make sure that as long as I'm on this side of this world, I'm going to fight every day, throughout the day, 365 days, to make sure that Amir Rahkare Locke gets justice for being executed by the MPD," Wells said.

"We know that we are not going to let them sweep Amir's death under the rug, as they attempted to initially. His family, led by his mother and father, are gonna fight to say that Amir Locke's life matters," Crump added.

The Minneapolis Police Department declined to provide comment.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/son-amir-law-abiding-citizen-family-amir-locke/story?id=82672267

A crime was committed here. I don't think the officer was responsible, he was doing his job as trained. Whoever issued that no-knock warrant is responsible. He sent those officers into a situation where an innocent person was killed. Unless someone was in imminent danger of being harmed without executing the warrant, the risk of this happening should have been considered and deemed not worth it..

He’s right. It’s not whatever. You have been very objective with these situations before. The same consistent logic that Pit pointed out, which oober and Jfan echoed seems - to me at least - to be correct regarding this situation.

I haven't been on DT for a bit and I don't expect to be around too much at least in the near future but if anyone is on Twitter, I highly recommend looking up @DefnotDarth who actually has a pretty good take on this.

On one end, you have Amir, suddenly woken out of a sound sleep with several strangers busting in to the apartment. From HIS perspective its not unreasonable in his position to bring a gun to bear. Had he gotten a round off and survived the encounter, I and I think most people believe he would have had a very strong self defense claim.

On the other end, you have cops executing a search warrant signed off by a Judge. The reason a no-knock approach is often used is that it gives the officers a tactical advantage by bringing enough force (in the form of presence) to bear before the occupants can arm themselves. I can't think of a situation where a cop is exercising their lawful duty and they wouldn't be justified in shooting someone who points a gun at them.

In that moment, neither one of them did anything wrong or unreasonable. So what do you do?

You look at what or who created that situation and analyze if it were necessary or justified.

Information on what led up to it has been very limited so far. Supposedly they were assisting St Paul PD in executing search warrants on the apartment building looking for a homicide suspect. Some reports say that St Paul PD stopped using no-knocks a few years ago and so MBPD shouldn't have. This may be relevant depending upon agency policies and the terms of the Mutual Aid Agreement. Normally a cops authority is limited to their specific jurisdiction. However, there are times where agencies can enter in to temporary agreements that expand that provides them legal authority in another jurisdiction. Some examples: 10 years or so ago at the DNC convention Charlotte-Meck brought in cops from across the state to help out with crowd/riot control, a small town with a college who has thousands show up for Halloween will bring in other cops for crowd control, one of the smaller agencies nearby recently had an officer killed so we sent a few of ours to handle 911 calls while they were at the funeral. We've also sent a few officers to the coast to help out post-hurricane. In each of those cases however, that authority can and usually is limited.

From what I've heard though is that the search warrant(s) have been sealed. I've also heard that it wasn't his apartment and I've not heard that he was the person they were looking for. No idea what probable cause they had to enter that specific apartment which is something they should have had, even if looking for a homicide suspect. You can't legally get a blanket warrant for an entire residential building. Each individual unit has it's own 4th Amendment protections.

While some agencies may restrict no-knocks I don't think from a legal perspective they will get banned. There's too much case law on exigency and I think too many reasons to justify one. However, that's not to say there shouldn't be more probable cause developed and provided with increased specificity to justify such a thing.

If this Locke guy had come out from under the blanket and shot a cop and was charged with murder, you would be blaming the system for putting him in that situation.

I don't know what you mean by "scared cops"... All the article says is that it was in connection with a homicide so I assume they thought the killer was inside the house... you don't have a no-knock warrant in the middle of the night to go interview a potential witness or a family member..... so yes, when you are going into the house where you think there might be a killer, you are going to be on edge... when you are lying on your couch and somebody breaks through your door, you are also going to be scared. I don't know what the right answer is, and I won't say there should NEVER be a no-knock warrant, but they put everybody involved in a really bad situation... but busting through the door and shooting people sure looks pretty cool on TV.

Look, I don't want cops killed either. Nobody should die if nobody has to die to remedy a situation. This kid did not deserve this and the cops/system are at fault. Talking like this kid should NOT have had the gun pisses me off, because if you come into my house like that, I might have a gun drawn too! Or any one of you might also draw a weapon. Is this acceptable in that situation? Just blow you away and sort it after? I might not have the answers, but I can damn sure see what's not working.

I damn sure don't envy the cops doing their job, but they are the trained pros in these situations and the only variable the public controls. And by "scared cops", I meant scared of what's on the other side of the door, scared to the point of firing first on sight of the gun without IDing the perpetrator. Again, I don't have the answers, but I see the wrong. I also think many cops have an unbiased disconnect when the suspect is a different color, and tend to use force more when the person is black. But that is just a citizen looking in from the outside with any facts I'm able to discern between all the political posturing involved in today's cases. I know a few policemen personally and none of them seem to be bigots to me, but you can tell they are either jaded by the job, or something in the training/or the work environment. But even the darkest POC in the worst neighborhoods in America deserve the same protections and service from the boys in blue, that the white suburbs insist they have. They don't have to be racist to act this way, if this is what they are trained to do. But again, news and political posturing sure paints that picture so often, sometimes you have to wonder how much truth there is to it.

I remember cops getting a lot more respect in the 70s-80s. They might have been called pigs or other names, but they were overall more respected by the public. And they weren't armed like the military.

I think you are at least beginning to understand the situation. Nobody should have died here. The end result was wrong and this kid is certainly a victim. He never should have died. But it's certainly the system and the way it's run that created such a situation.

Much as you said yourself, when someone breaks into your home in the middle of the night you are startled and half asleep. Brandishing a gun is not only understandable but legal to protect yourself. The legal system also allows for no search warrants which create the very situation we saw unfold. The two together make for a situation where someone, be it the person inside the house or the cops could easily be killed while everyone involved are following the law and doing nothing illegal.

It's a shame and has to be fixed some way. But how anyone can place the blame on the cops or people inside the home is something I don't understand.

lmao! I understand it perfectly and have from the beginning! I just disagree with you. It's not hard to wrap around. We're not that far apart, I just lay more responsibility on the pros. But I bet if they came in like that on you, your gun would have been in your hand too, and you would die. Is that acceptable in any way to you? It's not to me. The rest we agree on.

The thing is (and please correct me if I'm wrong) but a no-knock warrant is basically a heads up to the officers executing it that there might be some heat waiting for them when they open that door. So that's their expectation going in, and then they find someone with a gun in their hand.

To me, a wrong no-knock is the cop being set up for failure.

BTW – The 'system' or 'process' that I keep seeing mentioned to justify killer cops, is not a system that belongs to or is in any way controlled by citizens. It is police training and militarization that got us here, and until THEIR SYSTEM is fixed, they are killer cops in these situations. No less than a damn cartel breaking into your home and killing you in the night. All that, falls on the police and politicians.

My only response to this is, then why aren't police departments across the country changing these no-knock warrants/training to deal with the issues that keep arising? It's their systems that are broken, not the public's system. That man having a gun was his constitutional right, he was not named on the warrant, and was 100% legal when they executed him in his home. How many stories do we need like this for the “PROFESSIONALS POLICING THE CITIZENRY” to fix it? It's either on the cops or the bureaucracies they work for, and I'm seeing zero changes over years of this crap. So, they are Killer COPs until they aren't in these situations. Plus coming hard in the title, lit up the thread.

Sorry man, you are brainwashed.

You have bought in so deeply you can't think straight.

Please expound. Your comments mean nothing. Do you disagree that blacks shouldn't be killed needlessly? Do you disagree that this man was 100% legal? Do you think these warrants are a good excuse for murder? Oh, sorry, we just executed a warrant on your house and killed you for no reason, but it's the system not us cops? You're the one brainwashed into thinking this doesn't matter. It took 15 million pissed of POC and white activist protesting across the country to get your side's attention. It will take much more to turn the tide. BLM- coming soon to a neighborhood near you. and I can't wait.

I'm not in the black community, so I can't speak to how they are feeling about this, but I can tell you progressives are not happy at all. I'd bet, if this one stands and goes away, the protests/riots of 2020 will look small by comparison. But by your rationale, I'm overreacting and brainwashed… and I don't want to hear a word from you when cities are burning.

Because don't these no-knock warrants come from judges? Honest question. If it's on the police departments in terms of who issues these warrants, then I agree with you, but I'm not sure that's the case.

When somebody tells me it's the system, then the cops AND judges are the system. And if it is somehow the judges, I'm good labeling them killer judges.

My last point is this, I agree the system is bad and needs to be fixed, but I've never once heard of a system breaching a home and pulling a trigger. At some point the cop becomes responsible, just like with George Floyd.

Giving most cops the 'being human' benefit of the doubt, thinking no cop wants his day to end with an innocent body count, I can't imagine training that makes you fire when you see a gun on a no knock feels right to you? But I don't see cops speaking up. So I have to wonder why not?

This is where you lost me. Obviously, this is nothing like George Floyd because few/none of the circumstances are the same. As for your point before that... I'm not really sure what you're getting at.

I can't speak to specific training, but unless my assumption about no-knock warrants I mentioned above is false, then that would be my response.

Lastly, I believe DevilDawg is an officer, and he responded above. Others have responded in previous threads like this, and usually get shouted down.

The system being broken can not be 100% to blame because it did not pull the trigger(s) nor breach the door. Policemen did that. At some point right and wrong becomes their responsibility.

I feel that a no knock warrant is asking for someone to die.

Someone else (other than the police or the suspect) would have to be involved in a life or death circumstance to use it.

It is interesting how these no knock warrants often result in an unintended death of someone other than the intended target of the warrant.

It is also interesting that no knock searches are timed with people sleeping.

Why not wait for the individual of interest to come out and then arrest.

So yeah, you are creating a circumstance for someone to die.

It is escalation not de-escalation.

If someone doesn't knock, comes through my door in the morning I shoot first, ask questions later.

I think a lot of Americans agree.

j/c...

My initial response, going back to Breonna Taylor, was that there is no real excuse for no-knock warrants.

After doing a little research, I can understand the need but came to a few conclusions:

First, there are probably too many of these issued since it's gone from about 3000 per year in 1980 to conservative estimates of 50,000 per year today. It's obviously a pretty easy sell to judges where drugs are concerned... under the assumption that evidence may be destroyed, but that still seems like too many.

If there are 50,000 per year, the chances of a death are minuscule as there were 39 deaths (31 civilians, 8 officers) between 2010 and 2016. That amounts to a death rate of 0.01% (1 in 10,000).

The gray area, and the biggest thing that needs clarified (in my eyes) is "announcement". There is no obligation for officers to announce themselves during these "raids". I think that is whack. Granted, evidence says that officers do announce "in nearly all cases", but there shouldn't be an option. The door is already being broken down, the need for an element of surprise is gone. Numerous humans shouting "POLICE!" would seem to make a real difference in whether someone reaches for a gun.

I have guns in my house...one next to my bed (I never sleep with one under the covers on the couch though as that is a dangerours position....ie i guarantee it was not holstered)...but despite having guns I am not afraid of a no knock warrant or cops busting into my home..why....it is not because I am white....it is because i dont hang around with people that would even be considered a suspect in a homocide....keep better friends and your life improves drastically.....dad says the guy had a crime free record....for the time being.

A good example of why I think you are brainwashed and clueless.

Try to deal with life like an adult and not a spoiled brat ready to throw a tantrum if it doesn't get it's way.

What about this quote from my previous post makes you think I feel it's "acceptable"?


So you expect more from the professionals when a man brandishes a firearm? You've totally lost it.

Oh I won't be out there, can't keep up with those kids. BLM and ANTIFA got it covered. They scare the hell out of the weak right.

Yes I absolutely expect more. I expect more of them than to keep killing innocent people. Not one thing in this case is more important than acknowledging that the young man's death was preventable. Stick your I've lost it.