Similarly to how Breonna Taylor was murdered in her bed when Louisville PD officers shot and killed her after entering her home on a raid, SWAT officers in Minneapolis used a no-knock warrant to enter 22-year-old Amir Locke’s home on Wednesday, February 2, at 7 am and within 10 seconds, shot and killed him. Locke was neither a suspect in the investigated case nor was he named in the warrant being “served.” According to the Associated Press, “No-knock warrants are orders by judges that allow police to enter premises without notifying residents, such as by ringing the doorbell or banging on the door. Louisville, Kentucky, banned them following the botched raid in which officers killed Breonna Taylor in her home in March 2020, which led to calls for change nationwide. The Minnesota Legislature adopted some restrictions last June. And the U.S. Justice Department moved in September to curtail their use by federal agents.” Although Minneapolis PD refused to say whether the officers used a no-knock warrant, Interim police Chief Amelia Huffman specifically stated that a key fob was used to enter the apartment. That a key fob was employed rather than the officers knocking on the door for someone to answer should be the evidence needed to prove the existence and utilization of said no-knock warrant in the execution of Locke.
The Minneapolis PD released the body cam footage of Locke’s murder—the video of which contradicts what the officers said happened (exactly why we do not ever believe or publicize without fact checking what police departments say happened in any situation). The department’s initial press release said immediately after entering the apartment Locke was in, officers met Locke who had his firearm drawn and pointed at them. According to the bodycam footage, however, the footage shows officers entering the apartment and kicking the couch Locke was sleeping on, which caused him to wake up confused. Locke had a gun in his hand and he was wrapped in a white blanket, but he never pointed it at any of the officers. Fewer than 10 seconds later, Locke was assassinated. Of course it shouldn’t matter that Locke had a legal permit for his firearm, but in a carceral, cop-loving society, that fact should be stated. It should also be made clear that the only necessary summary of the night’s events is that Amir Locke was sleeping on his couch when cops used a key to enter the apartment before shooting him multiple times. It is not enough that Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced a moratorium on no-knock warrants through the investigation of Locke’s murder. It’s not enough that Mark Hanneman—the cop who shot and killed Locke—be suspended from duty or even fired from his job. The only way to stop the mass murders of Black people by state agents and provide justice for the family of Amir Locke is to abolish all forms of policing forever.
