(Minneapolis) Minnesota prosecutor announced on Wednesday that he was giving up prosecuting police officers accused of killing an African-American man during a search in Minneapolis in February, saying there was not enough evidence to prove that the officer had broken the law.
Posted at 1:27 p.m.
Amir Locke, 22, was shot dead on February 2 in the early morning by a police officer, acting on a so-called “no knock” arrest warrant, issued as part of a homicide investigation, in an apartment in this metropolis in the northern United States which remains traumatized by the murder of George Floyd in May 2020.
Through the voice of his lawyer Ben Crump, the young man’s family said they were “deeply disappointed” by the prosecutor’s decision, believing that “the tragic death” of Amir Locke “should never have happened”. The lawyer has announced civil lawsuits in this case.
After the tragedy, the family had denounced an “execution”, accusing the agents of having “left no chance” for their son.
“After a careful study of all the elements available […]there is not enough admissible evidence to trigger a prosecution in this case,” prosecutor Keith Ellison said in a statement on Wednesday.
A video released by law enforcement a few days after the young man’s death shows officers entering with a key, then loudly announcing themselves. Amir Locke, asleep on the sofa in the living room, then fidgets under his duvet, grabs a pistol and sits up slightly. Gunshots ring out. The whole thing takes less than nine seconds.
“There is no evidence that (Amir Locke) was a suspect or that he intended to harm the policeman” by taking his weapon, Mr. Ellison explained during a press conference.
But other body-camera footage from other officers present showed the gun “was pointed in the direction of the officer” who fired the shots, he said.
It is “a heartbreaking situation”, in which “a young man died”, but “you cannot judge someone because the public wants it”, underlined the prosecutor, who is African-American .
These so-called “no knock” warrants have been implicated in several cases of police violence against the black community in the country, and Minnesota had restricted their use after the major demonstrations in the summer of 2020.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced immediately after the death of Amir Locke the immediate suspension of such mandates in his city.