“Distraught and angry”, the parents of a young African-American killed by Minneapolis police denounced an “execution” on Friday, accusing the officers of having “left no chance” for their son. Amir Locke, 22, was shot dead Wednesday morning during a search of an apartment in this metropolis in the north of the United States, which remains traumatized by the murder of George Floyd.
On a video released by the police, we see agents enter with a key, then announce themselves loudly. Amir Locke, asleep on the sofa in the living room, then fidgets under his quilt, grabs a pistol and sits up slightly. Gunshots ring out. The whole thing takes less than nine seconds.
Gun license and no record
“A mother should never see her son executed like this,” Karen Wells said at a press conference, promising to fight for “justice.” Andre Locke pointed out that his son had no criminal record and had a gun license. “He was a heavy sleeper” and “did what any law-abiding citizen would have done under the same circumstances, black and white.”
For him, the police “might have done otherwise”, in particular by ordering him to drop his weapon before shooting. “They didn’t give him a chance. His death reopened the wounds caused by the May 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, under the knee of a white police officer.
To ease tensions, Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison “promised” to conduct a “rigorous and fair” review of the facts. “Amir Locke’s life mattered,” he added in a statement, referring to the iconic Black Lives Matter slogan.
“No knock” warrants criticized
Without prejudging the conclusions of the investigation, Democratic Governor Tim Walz noted “the need to go further in the reforms” of the police adopted following the death of George Floyd, in particular “regarding search warrants”.
The mandate at the heart of the drama did not mention Amir Locke. It was issued as part of a homicide investigation opened in the nearby city of Saint Paul and authorized officers not to announce themselves, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Amelia Huffman, quoted by NPR radio.
These so-called “no knock” warrants (without knocking on the door) have been implicated in several cases of police violence and Minnesota had restricted their use following the major demonstrations in the summer of 2020.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced Friday evening the immediate suspension of such warrants in his city, and promised a thorough review of police practices. They “continue to steal innocent black lives”, denounced the lawyer for the parents of Amir Locke, Ben Crump, who also represented the Floyd family. According to him, Amir Locke had bought a weapon because he was a delivery man and wanted to be able to protect himself. “Black men have, like everyone else, the right to own weapons. »
