Civil lawsuit filed year after police-related death of Minneapolis man, Amir Locke
Written by ABC Audio. All rights reserved. on February 3, 2023
(MINNEAPOLIS) — One year after the death of Amir Locke, a 22-year-old man shot and killed by Minneapolis police, attorneys Ben Crump, Antonio Romanucci and Jeff Storms announced they’ve filed a civil lawsuit.
Locke was fatally shot in February 2022 by Minneapolis police officers executing a no-knock search warrant on the apartment he was in.
“Our son didn’t do anything wrong. It could have been anyone’s son,” Andre Locke, father of Amir, said to ABC News affiliate KTSP. “But it happened to be ours, and people don’t understand how it feels until it actually happens to them.”
Amir was asleep on the couch when Minneapolis officers entered the residence. Officer Mark Hanneman shot Amir Locke as he emerged from under a blanket holding a gun that he legally owned, according to his family.
“If I did not use deadly force myself, I would likely be killed,” Hanneman told investigators when describing that moment on the body camera footage.
Procesutors declined to file charges.
As a result of the shooting, the Minneapolis police department no longer allows for the application or practice of no-knock search warrants, the city’s mayor Jacob Frey announced in April of last year.
No-knock warrants have come under scrutiny, most prominently in the 2020 killing of Breonna Taylor during a botched drug raid.
This lawsuit announcement comes a day after multiple organizations held a vigil at the Minnesota State Capitol rotunda for the anniversary of Locke’s death.
ABC News’ Kiara Alfonseca contributed to this report.
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