The City of Minneapolis has released body camera footage of cops’ deadly encounter with Amir Rahkare Locke, a 22-year-old Black man who was shot and killed by police on Wednesday (Feb. 2).
City officials released the footage and documents about the shooting on Thursday (Feb. 3). Later that day, Interim Police Chief Amelia Huffman and Mayor Jacob Frey held a joint press conference about the incident.
According to CBS, officer Mark Hanneman fatally shot Locke after he and other cops stormed an apartment unit at the Balero Flats complex on Wednesday morning just before 7 a.m. local time. Huffman said Thursday that SWAT officers obtained both knock and no-knock warrants for three apartments at the complex in connection with a homicide investigation led by the St. Paul Police Department.
However, Huffman confirmed that Locke was not named on the warrant and said it’s “unclear” whether he was a part of the investigation. Locke did not have a criminal record and his family said he did not live at the building and was sleeping over at a relative’s apartment when police arrived.
A short clip of body camera footage, which was released at various speeds on the city’s YouTube page, showed police entering an apartment with their guns drawn and saying, “Police” and, “Search warrant.”
Locke was seemingly asleep on the couch and awoke when police entered. He was wrapped in a blanket and holding a gun, which his family says he was legally licensed to carry. The video shows that roughly 10 seconds after cops entered the apartment, officer Hanneman shot Locke three times.
At Thursday’s press conference, Huffman claimed Hanneman made a “split-second decision” when he saw that Locke was holding a gun. The officer shot Locke twice in the chest and once in the wrist. According to Minneapolis city documents, police and medics rendered aid to the man, though body camera footage of that was not released.
Locke’s family and community members are calling for the officer to be arrested and held a vigil for Locke on Wednesday night. Activists have also pointed out that Hanneman opened fire in a multi-unit apartment building, potentially endangering others.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is reportedly investigating the shooting.