Amir Locke deserved the dignity of a knock

Another week, another state crime. Amir Locke, a 22-year-old Black man, was killed by police in a Minneapolis apartment building.

Shortly before 7 in the morning, a SWAT team approached the apartment door where Locke was staying. According to Interim Minneapolis Police Chief Amelia Huffman, it was assisting the city’s homicide unit as a part of a murder investigation. As is common practice, it executed a warrant when a search might turn violent.

The SWAT team had a “no-knock” search warrant. That’s a warrant authorizing law enforcement officers to enter without saying who they are and why they are there, if they believe these actions would create a dangerous situation or result in evidence being destroyed. Huffman said the SWAT team announced their entry “loudly and repeatedly” before forcibly entering the apartment Locke was staying in.

However, the body-worn camera footage tells a slightly different story. The footage shows an officer quietly turning a key to Locke’s apartment, and then the police yelling “Police! Search warrant!” Officers approached Locke lying on a couch, who was wrapped in a blanket. The officers kicked the back of the couch, waking Locke. Locke sat up and turned toward the officer. The footage shows Locke holding a handgun. Officer Mark Hanneman fired three shots into Locke — two into his chest and one into his wrist. Locke was treated on the scene, transported to a hospital and pronounced dead.