Minneapolis Police Officers Won’t Face Charges In Fatal Shooting Of Amir Locke
Two months after the fatal shooting of 22-year-old Amir Locke, no charges will be filed against the police involved in his death.
According to a statement from Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman stated there was “insufficient admissible evidence to file criminal charges” and “prosecutors “would be unable to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt any of the elements of Minnesota’s use-of-deadly-force statute that authorizes the use of force.”
As for the officer who shot Locke, the statement reads, "These circumstances are such that an objectively reasonable officer in Officer (Mark) Hanneman's position would have perceived an immediate threat of death or great bodily harm that was reasonably likely to occur, and an objectively reasonable officer would not delay in using deadly force.”
On Feb. 2, officers used a key to enter the unit where Locke, 22, was seen sleeping on a couch in a graphic and brief body camera video. Locke was shot within 10 seconds of the encounter. MPD Interim Police Chief Amelia Huffman confirmed that Locke was not named in the original warrant.
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The body cam video shows the officers quietly turning a key to the apartment door before they shouted, “Police. Search warrant.” One officer kicked the couch where Locke was under a blanket and a gun became visible. The gun was reportedly a legal firearm.
According to The New York Times, the police fired at least three times, and Locke died of multiple gunshot wounds. The outlets also reported police had obtained both knock and no-knock warrants for searches at three units in the apartment complex, which gave officers the latitude to decide which type of warrant to use.
On Feb. 7, according to NBC News, a 17-year-old suspect was arrested at approximately 3:45 p.m. in Winona, Minnesota for the fatal shooting of Otis Elder on Jan. 10. His name has not been released because he is a minor. However, Locke’s family confirmed in a statement that the suspect is a cousin.
