Cops Execute Innocent Man While He Slept on Sofa During No-Knock Raid on Wrong Person

Following George Floyd's death in May 2020, the country engaged in heated arguments about how to address the issue of excessive force in the land of the free. After significant suggestions by then-Congressman Justin Amash and Senator Rand Paul to abolish qualified immunity and no-knock warrants were mostly disregarded, other communities stepped in and proposed local remedies. Minneapolis – the agency responsible for Floyd's death — was one of these actors who said they would severely limit the use of no-knock orders. However, as we anticipated at the time, this looks to have been a case of smoke and mirrors.

Minneapolis announced in November 2020 that it would be limiting the use of no-knock warrants by imposing severe limitations on their usage.

No-knock warrants are only authorised under those standards in high-risk situations, such as a hostage scenario. "With the exception of exceptional situations, such as a hostage scenario, MPD officers will be obliged to declare their presence and intent prior to entering," the agency wrote in a news statement.

Police did declare themselves in the next occasion, but only after breaking into a man's flat – without knocking. Amir Locke was inside the flat — and he was not the guy sought by police.

As seen by the footage, cops entered Locke's flat without knocking and only announced a "police search warrant" once inside. This is the quintessential no-knock raid.

Locke was covered in a blanket and asleep on the sofa when they burst into his house. Officers cry "get on the ground" and "show me your hands" as one of the policemen kicks the sofa.

Locke starts to shift about, clearly scared, as armed invaders awaken him in the middle of the night. He eventually takes a revolver to protect himself. He would never get the opportunity to defend himself, however, since as soon as he took up the pistol, cops started firing shots into him, killing Locke as he slept on the sofa.

"This video raises about as many concerns as it answers," Mayor Jacob Frey told reporters late Thursday after the clip was released. "We intend to obtain responses as soon as possible."

According to MPR, the search warrant was related to a murder investigation in St. Paul. Locke was not identified in the search warrant, and it is unclear whether he is connected to the St. Paul investigation, acting Minneapolis police chief Amelia Huffman said after the video's release.

Prior to the release of body camera video, the first police report said that Locke pointed his revolver at officers. However, it is not visible in the recently released film. Additionally, when we slowed down the clip, we discovered that Locke's finger was not on the trigger and that he was practising gun safety by keeping his finger straight and away from the trigger.

Despite his assertion that no-knock warrants would be used sparingly, Huffman informed media that cops had secured a no-knock warrant for the residence.

A man sleeping on the sofa is not the same as being held hostage and hardly qualifies as a "high risk circumstance." Locke would still be alive if cops had merely knocked at a regular hour. As he was innocent, he would very certainly have just answered the door and spoken with the police. Rather than that, they broke in and murdered him.

According to MPR, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the incident, and the agency will evaluate to see whether any department rules or procedures were broken.

“We all know these incidents happen extremely swiftly, and when there’s a gun emerging in your direction you’re forced to make a split-second choice about when it’s a threat,” she added.

However, the community is divided. Activists noted out at Thursday's news conference that cops never even asked Locke to lay down the pistol before murdering him.

"What we are seeing is business as usual," said Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights attorney. "If (police) discover that the child was carrying a pistol as he began to awaken, they should tell him to 'Drop your weapon.' That was not the case."

Indeed. They did not do so.

Ben Crump, who also represents Floyd's estate, said at a Thursday news conference that Locke had no criminal record and lawfully acquired his pistol.

Link to the video:https://rumble.com/embed/vrf5g5/?pub=4