On anniversary of Amir Locke killing, family and activists demand accountability

One year has passed since Amir Locke was shot and killed by a Minneapolis police officer carrying out a no-knock warrant, but his mother, Karen Wells, said Thursday that not a day has gone by when she doesn't look at his pictures or say his name.

Wells was the first among about a dozen speakers in Minnesota's Capitol rotunda for a vigil marking exactly one year since the 22-year-old Black man's death. They renewed demands that the officers who executed the raid be charged and fired, and expressed their frustration that Mark Hanneman, who shot Locke, was not charged.

"No matter how tired I get, I'm not going anywhere," Wells said. "I will continue to fight for my son."

More than 100 people filled the rotunda, with a large number of Locke's family members and friends attending, joined by other groups including Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence and the Minnesota Justice Coalition.

At least six family members of other Black men shot and killed by police in the Twin Cities attended the vigil in support of the family. Some said there needs to be changes at the department level to reduce the number of Black people killed at the hands of police.

Locke was not the subject of the search warrant being served by the officers. He was sleeping on a couch in a downtown Minneapolis apartment when they entered and quickly shot him. They were looking for evidence in a homicide case from earlier that day. About nine seconds passed between the officers entering and then firing, after seeing Locke grab his handgun. Hanneman later said he feared for his life and that he needed to use deadly force.

In April, then-Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman and Attorney General Keith Ellison announced that Hanneman would not be charged.

In a later interview with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Hanneman claimed Locke pointed the gun at him — though it is not captured on his own body camera. Only the movement of Locke's blanket can be seen behind Hanneman's gun. A paramedic later told the BCA that Locke was not breathing by the time he was brought down to them on the main floor.

Many of Locke's family members wore shirts demanding "Justice for Amir Locke." Locke's 6-year-old niece also sang a song in honor of him. His uncle Andrew Tyler challenged Ellison to review the body camera footage, and said he disagrees there wasn't enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Hanneman violated Minnesota's use-of-force statute.

Several state representatives in attendance said they are working to introduce a bill that would prohibit no-knock warrants.

"When you don't gain justice in the system to hold people accountable for their actions and taking life, especially when they wear a badge to serve and protect, it hurts," said Rep. Maria Isa Pérez-Vega, DFL-St. Paul.

Pérez-Vega said she also knew Locke's father from when they were teenagers in the Twin Cities' hip-hop scene.

Attorney Ben Crump and two others will be announcing a civil lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis for the shooting. They are holding a news conference about the lawsuit on Friday.