Activists and police disagree on the narrative on what happened in the death of Amir Locke, who was shot and killed by a Minneapolis Police officer Wednesday morning as a SWAT Team attempted to serve a warrant.
Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) Public Information Officer Casper T. Hill referred The Minnesota Sun to a press release explaining the MPD’s version of events.
“At approximately 6:48 am, the Minneapolis Police SWAT Team was executing a warrant for the Saint Paul Police Department Homicide unit on the 1100 block of Marquette Ave South,” the release says. “Officers gained entry to the target apartment on the seventh floor, loudly and repeatedly announced their presence, crossed the threshold of the apartment, and advanced with continued loud announcements of their presence.
“Approximately 9 seconds into the entry, officers encountered a male who was armed with a handgun pointed in the direction of officers,” the release continued. “At one point, shots were fired, and the adult male suspect was struck. Officers immediately provided emergency aid and carried the suspect down to the lobby to meet paramedics.”
The suspect was then transported to Hennepin County medical center, where he died.
MPD included photos of the suspect’s handgun, and a loaded magazine in the release.
But activists say Locke was murdered.
“Amir Locke had a valid Minnesota license to conceal and carry a weapon. This is a FN 5.7 legally registered to Amir,” one Twitter user claimed. “Amir Locke wasn’t on the warrant and there’s even talk that the apartment unit they killed Amir in wasn’t in the warrant either. Where’s the body cam footage?”
Amir Locke had a valid Minnesota license to conceal and carry a weapon. This is a FN 5.7 legally registered to Amir. Amir Locke wasn’t on the warrant and there’s even talk that the apartment unit they killed Amir in wasn’t in the warrant either. Where’s the body cam footage? https://t.co/StNVpHords
— there are weeks where decades happen ☠(@ViolentLeftist) February 3, 2022
“Amir Locke should still be a live [sic] right now. Instead it took MPD only 9 seconds to murder him in cold blood. Amir Locke was never named in the search warrant, his gun was legally owned, and he had all the right to use it to protect himself from intruders like pig Mark Hanneman,” an anti-police group claimed.
Amir Locke should still be a live right now. Instead it took MPD only 9 seconds to murder him in cold blood. Amir Locke was never named in the search warrant, his gun was legally owned, and he had all the right to use it to protect himself from intruders like pig Mark Hanneman.
— MNUPRISING (@MnUrising) February 3, 2022
Several such claims are circulating on the social media site, and are receiving a fair bit of attention.
Whether the gun was legally registered is irrelevant to whether the police shooting was justified, but when The Sun reached out to MPD to clarify if Locke resided at the apartment, and if the warrant was for his arrest, MPD declined to comment.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05), a known anti-police member of Congress, called for body camera footage of the shooting to be released.
“The people of MPLS & Amir Locke’s family deserve the truth as we deal with this tragedy,” she said. “Now is the time for transparency and honesty from our city’s chief executive and his police dept.”
I join the MPLS delegation in calling on @MayorFrey to release the footage of this shooting. The people of MPLS & Amir Locke’s family deserve the truth as we deal with this tragedy. Now is the time for transparency and honesty from our city's chief executive and his police dept. https://t.co/krwh9bzn1S
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) February 3, 2022
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Minnesota Sun and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Minneapolis Police Department” by Chad Davis CC BY 2.0.
