This is something that should enrage anyone who cares about basic 2nd Amendment rights. It's long past time for these no-knock warrants to be banned.
Amir Locke was asleep on a couch under a blanket. Minneapolis Police- their SWAT team, busted into a home they had a no knock warrant for. Locke, 22 years old, was NOT named on the warrant, and was the legal owner of a firearm (as well as had a concealed carry permit as well. Said firearm was what he grabbed (and didn't even point at police when he was shot - in fact he never even saw his killer, as he was gunned down with his blanket still mostly over his head) when jolted out of his sleep by the jackbooted invasion into the apartment with mixed yells claiming to be police.
He had every right grab the barrel of his firearm (which is what he did) against the home invaders the police were behaving as. Hell, he even should have had every right to shoot them, if he had done so. He had no reason to believe the people invading were actually police, let alone that they had a warrant. And sadly he died because of this unconstitutional no-knock warrant garbage violating his basic 2nd Amendment rights and his right to self-defense, and it is unlikely anyone will face any real consequences.
Even worse, St Paul police, the ones that requested the warrant, never requested a no-knock warrant. But the address was within Minneapolis PD territory, and they demanded the no-knock. They were also caught lying about when they announced themselves, originally claiming they announced before entering, when instead they did not and only announced with jumbled shouting of various officers, after they were already in the apartment, lights shining, kicking the couch that Locke was sleeping on.
https://reason.com/2022/02/04/amir-l...id-gun-rights/
An officer with the Minneapolis Police Department SWAT team shot and killed a 22-year-old man early Wednesday morning during the execution of a no-knock raid, reinvigorating debate around a law-enforcement tactic that many say is ripe for abuse.
The victim, Amir Locke, who appeared to be asleep on the couch that morning, was not named on that warrant. In a matter of about three seconds, body camera footage shows the man—buried under a thick white blanket—stirring to the sound of the cops' entry with his hand on the barrel of a firearm. Officer Mark Hanneman then shoots him three times.
Interim Minneapolis Police Chief Amelia Huffman initially said that Hanneman shot Locke because Locke pointed his gun "in the direction of officers." But the footage released by the government appeared to contradict that: Locke's gun was pointed to the side, and his hand was on the barrel of the weapon, not the trigger.
He owned the gun legally and had a concealed carry permit, according to his family's legal representation. "My son was executed…and now his dreams have been destroyed," said Locke's mother, Karen Wells, at a press conference Friday. "They didn't even give him a chance," echoed attorney Ben Crump.
Locke's death is likely to exert further scrutiny on no-knock raids, which have come under fire in recent years for their dire unintended consequences. In this case, the St. Paul Police Department requested that the SWAT team use a knock-and-announce warrant, but the Minneapolis officers reportedly countered that they would only move forward with a no-knock raid.
The March 2020 killing of Breonna Taylor sparked a great deal of debate over police tactics after the 26-year-old woman died when Louisville Police shot her during the execution of a drug raid targeting her boyfriend. But the raid itself is not the only circumstance Taylor and Locke's cases have in common. In Taylor's case, her partner, Kenneth Walker, exited the bed, retrieved a gun, and fired one shot upon hearing someone barge into Taylor's apartment. He told authorities he thought it was her ex-boyfriend breaking in. The police responded, shooting Taylor five times.* Walker was subsequently charged with attempted murder, though that was ultimately dismissed in May 2020.
Walker also had a license to carry.
Taylor's story gained widespread traction in the media. Here's one that didn't: Andrew Coffee IV of Gifford, Florida, was recently acquitted of murdering his 21-year-old girlfriend, Alteria Woods. But no one—including the state—posited that he'd shot Woods. Deputies with the Indian River County Sheriff's Office shot her 10 times during a raid that targeted Coffee IV's father. Coffee IV opened fire after cops threw a flash-bang grenade into his room and smashed his window. The state charged him with the attempted murder of a law enforcement officer along with the felony murder of Woods, a controversial rule that allows the government to charge someone with a homicide they didn't carry out if it took place during a related offense.
During his trial, the defense argued that he believed the cops to be intruders and shot in self-defense, an argument that ultimately persuaded a jury.
Locke's scenario should bother just about anyone who supports the right to carry a firearm. The Second Amendment does not discriminate, nor does it evaporate as soon as the government enters the premises, particularly when considering that the Founding impetus behind it was to protect against a tyrannical state.
The National Rifle Association (NRA), the country's premier gun advocacy group, has yet to make a statement on the killing. They've struggled with this before. Consider Philando Castile, who was shot and killed by St. Anthony Police Department Officer Jeronimo Yanez in 2016 during a routine traffic stop after Castile calmly indicated he had a firearm in the vehicle. (St. Anthony is a suburb of Minneapolis, located about five minutes across the Mississippi River.)
The NRA remained silent for quite a while until August 2017 when then-spokesperson Dana Loesch said that the organization declined to defend Castile because he had marijuana in his car at the time of his death. As of this writing, no NRA spokesperson has responded to Reason's request for comment.
Sadly I suspect that the NRA will remain silent cowards just like they were during the Castile case - one of the reasons they lost my support after many years with their unwillingness to defend the 2nd amendment rights of anyone other than white dudes - they made it very clear they don't care about the rights of people that look like me.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/minneapol...161258408.html
KARE-11: St. Paul police did not request a 'no-knock' warrant in MPD raid that led to Amir Locke's death
No-knock warrants are a cancer to the basic rights of citizens, and need to be eradicated.
Amir Locke was asleep on a couch under a blanket. Minneapolis Police- their SWAT team, busted into a home they had a no knock warrant for. Locke, 22 years old, was NOT named on the warrant, and was the legal owner of a firearm (as well as had a concealed carry permit as well. Said firearm was what he grabbed (and didn't even point at police when he was shot - in fact he never even saw his killer, as he was gunned down with his blanket still mostly over his head) when jolted out of his sleep by the jackbooted invasion into the apartment with mixed yells claiming to be police.
He had every right grab the barrel of his firearm (which is what he did) against the home invaders the police were behaving as. Hell, he even should have had every right to shoot them, if he had done so. He had no reason to believe the people invading were actually police, let alone that they had a warrant. And sadly he died because of this unconstitutional no-knock warrant garbage violating his basic 2nd Amendment rights and his right to self-defense, and it is unlikely anyone will face any real consequences.
Even worse, St Paul police, the ones that requested the warrant, never requested a no-knock warrant. But the address was within Minneapolis PD territory, and they demanded the no-knock. They were also caught lying about when they announced themselves, originally claiming they announced before entering, when instead they did not and only announced with jumbled shouting of various officers, after they were already in the apartment, lights shining, kicking the couch that Locke was sleeping on.
https://reason.com/2022/02/04/amir-l...id-gun-rights/
An officer with the Minneapolis Police Department SWAT team shot and killed a 22-year-old man early Wednesday morning during the execution of a no-knock raid, reinvigorating debate around a law-enforcement tactic that many say is ripe for abuse.
The victim, Amir Locke, who appeared to be asleep on the couch that morning, was not named on that warrant. In a matter of about three seconds, body camera footage shows the man—buried under a thick white blanket—stirring to the sound of the cops' entry with his hand on the barrel of a firearm. Officer Mark Hanneman then shoots him three times.
Interim Minneapolis Police Chief Amelia Huffman initially said that Hanneman shot Locke because Locke pointed his gun "in the direction of officers." But the footage released by the government appeared to contradict that: Locke's gun was pointed to the side, and his hand was on the barrel of the weapon, not the trigger.
He owned the gun legally and had a concealed carry permit, according to his family's legal representation. "My son was executed…and now his dreams have been destroyed," said Locke's mother, Karen Wells, at a press conference Friday. "They didn't even give him a chance," echoed attorney Ben Crump.
Locke's death is likely to exert further scrutiny on no-knock raids, which have come under fire in recent years for their dire unintended consequences. In this case, the St. Paul Police Department requested that the SWAT team use a knock-and-announce warrant, but the Minneapolis officers reportedly countered that they would only move forward with a no-knock raid.
The March 2020 killing of Breonna Taylor sparked a great deal of debate over police tactics after the 26-year-old woman died when Louisville Police shot her during the execution of a drug raid targeting her boyfriend. But the raid itself is not the only circumstance Taylor and Locke's cases have in common. In Taylor's case, her partner, Kenneth Walker, exited the bed, retrieved a gun, and fired one shot upon hearing someone barge into Taylor's apartment. He told authorities he thought it was her ex-boyfriend breaking in. The police responded, shooting Taylor five times.* Walker was subsequently charged with attempted murder, though that was ultimately dismissed in May 2020.
Walker also had a license to carry.
Taylor's story gained widespread traction in the media. Here's one that didn't: Andrew Coffee IV of Gifford, Florida, was recently acquitted of murdering his 21-year-old girlfriend, Alteria Woods. But no one—including the state—posited that he'd shot Woods. Deputies with the Indian River County Sheriff's Office shot her 10 times during a raid that targeted Coffee IV's father. Coffee IV opened fire after cops threw a flash-bang grenade into his room and smashed his window. The state charged him with the attempted murder of a law enforcement officer along with the felony murder of Woods, a controversial rule that allows the government to charge someone with a homicide they didn't carry out if it took place during a related offense.
During his trial, the defense argued that he believed the cops to be intruders and shot in self-defense, an argument that ultimately persuaded a jury.
Locke's scenario should bother just about anyone who supports the right to carry a firearm. The Second Amendment does not discriminate, nor does it evaporate as soon as the government enters the premises, particularly when considering that the Founding impetus behind it was to protect against a tyrannical state.
The National Rifle Association (NRA), the country's premier gun advocacy group, has yet to make a statement on the killing. They've struggled with this before. Consider Philando Castile, who was shot and killed by St. Anthony Police Department Officer Jeronimo Yanez in 2016 during a routine traffic stop after Castile calmly indicated he had a firearm in the vehicle. (St. Anthony is a suburb of Minneapolis, located about five minutes across the Mississippi River.)
The NRA remained silent for quite a while until August 2017 when then-spokesperson Dana Loesch said that the organization declined to defend Castile because he had marijuana in his car at the time of his death. As of this writing, no NRA spokesperson has responded to Reason's request for comment.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/minneapol...161258408.html
Minneapolis police have released body camera footage showing the fatal shooting of a 22-year-old Black man earlier this week during a no-knock warrant, a case that has raised tensions in the city and renewed scrutiny upon local law enforcement.
Amir Locke was fatally shot by a SWAT team officer with the Minneapolis Police Department as they carried out a warrant at 6:48 a.m. Wednesday in the 1100 block of Marquette Ave South, police said.
The warrant was related to a homicide investigation out of St. Paul, Minnesota, according to police.
“Mr. Locke was not named in the original search warrant and so at this point it is unclear if or how he is connected to St. Paul’s investigation," Minneapolis Police Department Interim Chief Amelia Huffman said in a news conference Thursday.
The shooting has once again cast a harsh spotlight upon the Minneapolis Police Department, already accused of use of excessive force in the 2020 death of George Floyd. It has also reignited questions over the use of no-knock warrants, as Kentucky woman Breonna Taylor was fatally shot during such a warrant in Louisville in 2020.
The footage of the incident was released Thursday after family members of the descendant reviewed the footage, Huffman said.
The footage is graphic and police blurred the faces of the officers involved.
The 54-second clip begins with SWAT team members opening the door to a unit on the seventh floor of the apartment building with a key.
They announce their presence as they enter the door, not beforehand, contrary to what the police news release on the incident said claiming officers, “loudly and repeatedly announced their presence” before crossing the threshold of the apartment.
When a reporter challenged Huffman on the timing of the officers declaring their presence, she urged the public to watch the video and "make their own assessment."
Seconds after entering the apartment, officers see a figure on a couch covered in a blanket that starts to rise. As the figure rises, the barrel of a gun comes into view.
The news release of the incident describes the handgun as "pointed in the direction of the officer." However, in the footage it's not clear if the gun was pointing at an officer.
That's when a SWAT team officer had to make a "split second decision" of whether there was an imminent threat of harm, Huffman said.
One officer was heard saying, "Show me your hands!" It's not clear if Locke was ordered to drop the gun before he was shot.
Three shots were fired in the footage and Locke appears to fall onto the ground.
Emergency aid was provided to Locke and he was carried to the lobby to meet paramedics. He was transported to the Hennepin County medical center where he died, police said in the news release.
The gun was recovered from the scene.
The entire incident unfolded in less than 10 seconds.
The heated press conference was interrupted by Black activist and civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong, who took to the stage to confront Mayor Jacob Frey and Huffman for the lack of change in the city's policing.
"I don’t know how you guys slept last night,” Armstrong said. “Don’t cover up for what those cops did.”
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension responded to the shooting scene and is conducting an independent investigation. The Minneapolis Police Department will also conduct an assessment of policy and procedure violations separate from the internal administrative probe, Huffman said.
On Friday, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced he will work with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office in reviewing Locke's death. Together they will work with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and decide whether criminal charges should be brought.
The officer who shot Locke was identified Thursday as Mark Hanneman, who joined the department in 2015.
Hanneman had been the subject of three complaints since his hiring but all were closed without discipline, according to his personnel records released by the city.
Hanneman is on paid administrative leave “in accordance with department policy,” police public information officer Garrett Parten said.
NBC News' efforts to reach Hanneman Friday morning were unsuccessful.
Locke’s family has retained Ben Crump and Jeff Storms.
Crump said in a statement that Locke has no past criminal history and legally possessed a firearm at the time of his death. He compared Locke's killing to the botched raid that killed Breonna Taylor.
“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."
In a press conference Friday, Locke’s father Andre Locke called Amir a “good kid" and "entrepreneur."
“Amir enjoyed learning and asking questions. He enjoyed wanting to be a part of the music industry. He wanted to change lives. He wanted to help the youth,” his father said, noting they come from a law enforcement family.
Andre said his son was startled when the officers approached and kicked the couch he was sleeping on.
“He never got to know or see who killed him,” Andre said. “He never got a chance to remove the cover from his head.”
“Amir did what any reasonable law abiding citizen would do to protect himself ... We want justice for our son Amir," Andre added.
Amir's mother Karen Wells said "a mother should never have to see her child executed in that manner."
"I always referred to him as my baby boy," she said. "He was raised with morals and values. He respected law enforcement."
His parents said Amir had plans to move to Dallas, where his mom lives, in a week to pursue his music career.
Minneapolis has been the center of police reform debate in wake of Floyd’s death.
Currently, its police department is under investigation by the Justice Department to see if it engages in a pattern or practice of policing that violates the Constitution or federal civil rights laws.
In November 2020, Minneapolis Mayor Frey unveiled a new policy for no-knock warrants, requiring officers to announce their presence and purpose before entering and mandate they periodically announce themselves through the search.
Amir Locke was fatally shot by a SWAT team officer with the Minneapolis Police Department as they carried out a warrant at 6:48 a.m. Wednesday in the 1100 block of Marquette Ave South, police said.
The warrant was related to a homicide investigation out of St. Paul, Minnesota, according to police.
“Mr. Locke was not named in the original search warrant and so at this point it is unclear if or how he is connected to St. Paul’s investigation," Minneapolis Police Department Interim Chief Amelia Huffman said in a news conference Thursday.
The shooting has once again cast a harsh spotlight upon the Minneapolis Police Department, already accused of use of excessive force in the 2020 death of George Floyd. It has also reignited questions over the use of no-knock warrants, as Kentucky woman Breonna Taylor was fatally shot during such a warrant in Louisville in 2020.
The footage of the incident was released Thursday after family members of the descendant reviewed the footage, Huffman said.
The footage is graphic and police blurred the faces of the officers involved.
The 54-second clip begins with SWAT team members opening the door to a unit on the seventh floor of the apartment building with a key.
They announce their presence as they enter the door, not beforehand, contrary to what the police news release on the incident said claiming officers, “loudly and repeatedly announced their presence” before crossing the threshold of the apartment.
When a reporter challenged Huffman on the timing of the officers declaring their presence, she urged the public to watch the video and "make their own assessment."
Seconds after entering the apartment, officers see a figure on a couch covered in a blanket that starts to rise. As the figure rises, the barrel of a gun comes into view.
The news release of the incident describes the handgun as "pointed in the direction of the officer." However, in the footage it's not clear if the gun was pointing at an officer.
That's when a SWAT team officer had to make a "split second decision" of whether there was an imminent threat of harm, Huffman said.
One officer was heard saying, "Show me your hands!" It's not clear if Locke was ordered to drop the gun before he was shot.
Three shots were fired in the footage and Locke appears to fall onto the ground.
Emergency aid was provided to Locke and he was carried to the lobby to meet paramedics. He was transported to the Hennepin County medical center where he died, police said in the news release.
The gun was recovered from the scene.
The entire incident unfolded in less than 10 seconds.
The heated press conference was interrupted by Black activist and civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong, who took to the stage to confront Mayor Jacob Frey and Huffman for the lack of change in the city's policing.
"I don’t know how you guys slept last night,” Armstrong said. “Don’t cover up for what those cops did.”
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension responded to the shooting scene and is conducting an independent investigation. The Minneapolis Police Department will also conduct an assessment of policy and procedure violations separate from the internal administrative probe, Huffman said.
On Friday, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced he will work with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office in reviewing Locke's death. Together they will work with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and decide whether criminal charges should be brought.
The officer who shot Locke was identified Thursday as Mark Hanneman, who joined the department in 2015.
Hanneman had been the subject of three complaints since his hiring but all were closed without discipline, according to his personnel records released by the city.
Hanneman is on paid administrative leave “in accordance with department policy,” police public information officer Garrett Parten said.
NBC News' efforts to reach Hanneman Friday morning were unsuccessful.
Locke’s family has retained Ben Crump and Jeff Storms.
Crump said in a statement that Locke has no past criminal history and legally possessed a firearm at the time of his death. He compared Locke's killing to the botched raid that killed Breonna Taylor.
“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."
In a press conference Friday, Locke’s father Andre Locke called Amir a “good kid" and "entrepreneur."
“Amir enjoyed learning and asking questions. He enjoyed wanting to be a part of the music industry. He wanted to change lives. He wanted to help the youth,” his father said, noting they come from a law enforcement family.
Andre said his son was startled when the officers approached and kicked the couch he was sleeping on.
“He never got to know or see who killed him,” Andre said. “He never got a chance to remove the cover from his head.”
“Amir did what any reasonable law abiding citizen would do to protect himself ... We want justice for our son Amir," Andre added.
Amir's mother Karen Wells said "a mother should never have to see her child executed in that manner."
"I always referred to him as my baby boy," she said. "He was raised with morals and values. He respected law enforcement."
His parents said Amir had plans to move to Dallas, where his mom lives, in a week to pursue his music career.
Minneapolis has been the center of police reform debate in wake of Floyd’s death.
Currently, its police department is under investigation by the Justice Department to see if it engages in a pattern or practice of policing that violates the Constitution or federal civil rights laws.
In November 2020, Minneapolis Mayor Frey unveiled a new policy for no-knock warrants, requiring officers to announce their presence and purpose before entering and mandate they periodically announce themselves through the search.
No-knock warrants are a cancer to the basic rights of citizens, and need to be eradicated.
Comment