Amir Locke was fatally shot by Minneapolis police on Wednesday when they entered an apartment while the 22-year-old was sleeping in the living room.
Before he was killed by police, Locke was in the process of establishing a music business and had filed the necessary paperwork, HuffPost reports. He planned to relocate to Dallas to live near his mother, who helped him create the logo for his business. He also worked as a DoorDash deliverer.
This is Amir Locke. He was a son, a brother, a new business owner and wanted to make music like his father who is known to many in the Twin Cities music community as “Lil Buddy McClain”. Instead Amir was fatally shot by a Minneapolis officer seconds after he woke up Wednesday pic.twitter.com/YKOiU5Bf9o
— Georgia Fort (@ByGeorgiaFort) February 5, 2022
The young man had no criminal record and had a license and concealed carry permit for his gun, according to HuffPost. Locke also had family members who worked as law enforcement, and was taught by his parents how to interact with police appropriately.
"You took a good kid who was trying to make the best out of his environment, and surpass it and succeed, and he was doing it," Reginald McClure, Locke's family member who works in law enforcement in Texas, said, according to HuffPost. "He was figuring out life, but he was doing it safely."
Amir's family demands accountability from the Minneapolis Police Department.
The Minneapolis Police SWAT team used a key to enter the apartment to issue a no-knock warrant, which resulted in the killing of Locke, who was not the listed suspect on the warrant, WFAA reports.
The police entered the apartment, shouting, "Police! Search warrant!" while kicking the sofa where Locke was sleeping, covered in a blanket.
Body camera footage shows an officer, identified as Mark Hannaman, firing three gunshots, killing Locke. Police justified the shooting, saying Locke pointed the weapon in the direction of the officers.
"My son Amir, who was born and raised in the twin cities, law-abiding citizen, did everything he was supposed to do," Karen Wells, Locke's mother, told WFAA.
"He wasn't even awake; he was in a deep sleep when the officers entered the residence … I want everyone to know they kicked that couch and startled him," Andre Locke, the 22-year-old's father, said, WFAA reports.
"Amir was a deep sleeper, 22 years old, he was a deep sleeper, it takes a lot to wake him up," Andre said about his son at a Friday press conference, according to HuffPost. "For them to kick the couch and startle him, those officers and that officer aggravated him, almost like they wanted him to reach for something, to take his life."
On Thursday, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Interim Police Chief Amelia Huffman held a press conference to answer questions about the shooting, which grew contentious, causing Frey and Huffman to leave the room.
