Who was Amir Locke?

Amir Locke was killed by Minnesota police on Thursday, February 4, when they implemented a no-knock warrant.

Police entered the residence at 6.48am and within moments of entering the home, Locke was dead.

Who was Amir Locke?

Amir Locke was 22 years old at his time of death and police claim he was brandishing a gun when they entered the residence.

CBS reported that Locke’s family told Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights activist, that Locke had a concealed carry permit and didn’t live in the apartment the police had entered.

The 22-year-old did not reside in the apartment and was not one of the three suspects the police were looking for in the warrant, Armstrong said.

Locke’s family’s attorney, Ben Crump, is a civil rights lawyer who helped George Floyd’s family to receive $27million for his death at the hands of Minnesota police officers.

Crump likened Locke’s death to Breonna Taylor who was shot in her Kentucky home in 2020.

“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,” he told CBS.

“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.”

How was he killed?

Amir Locke was sleeping on the couch when police video shows officers shouting “Police! Search warrant!” and yelled “hands!” and “get on the ground!” before entering the residence.

Police footage shows one officer kicking the sectional sofa where Locke was sleeping, hidden beneath a blanket.

As the blanket fell away, police saw a gun in Locke’s hand and claim he was pointing it at an officer.

Three gunshots go off, two hitting Locke in the chest and one on his right wrist, according to an incident report.

Ben Crump

Amir Locke was 22 years old when he was killed.[/caption]

Interim Chief Amelia Huffman said the officers had to make a snap decision and assess if they were in danger of physical harm.

“The still shot shows the image of the firearm in the subject’s hands, at the best possible moment when the lighting was fully on him,” Huffman told CBS.

“That’s the moment when the officer had to make a split-second decision to assess the circumstances and to determine whether he felt like there was an articulable threat, that the threat was of imminent harm, great bodily harm or death, and that he needed to take action right then to protect himself and his partners.”

The police entered the residence with a warrant for three suspects, but Locke’s name was not on that list, Armstrong said.

How has this fueled civil rights activists?

Nekima Levy Armstrong was appointed as the co-chair of a community safety workgroup by the mayor and is a civil rights activist.

At the police press conference, she demanded change and accountability from the police force.

“One cop opened fire and took the life of a child who was trying to go back into his blanket. Any mom can see what happened there,” Armstrong said during the press conference

“We can’t do this. I know you have your narrative, I know you have your scripts, I know you guys didn’t go and personally shoot somebody but you do have the opportunity to make it right…”

Armstrong called for the abolition of the no-knock policy that allows police to enter a building or residence without someone coming to the door.

In her speech, Armstrong said of the police, “I’m expecting strong leadership, I’m expecting integrity, and I’m expecting accountability. You guys aren’t gonna waste my godd**n time.”