BREAKING: No Charges Filed In Fatal Shooting Of Amir Locke

Minnesota prosecutors have refused to file charges against the police officer that fatally shot Amir Locke in early February. 

As we previously reported, Locke was a 22-year-old Black man who was sleeping on his cousin’s couch when authorities raided the home in a no-knock procedure. Prosecutors say the bodycam footage shows Locke reaching for a gun and pointing it at Officer Mark Hanneman, which caused the officer to open fire. Locke’s family spoke out saying the footage shows Locke being shocked and awakening out of his sleep and reaching for the gun that he has a license to carry. 

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 “After a thorough review of all available evidence… there is insufficient admissible evidence to file criminal charges in this case,” according to the statement. Though Locke had the legal right to possess a firearm, prosecutors say that his actions after officers entered the apartment seemed like a threat. “These circumstances are such that an objectively reasonable officer in Officer Hanneman’s position would have perceived an immediate threat of death or great bodily harm was reasonably likely to occur, and an objectively reasonable officer would not delay in using deadly force,” the statement included.

A spokesperson with the Minneapolis Police Department says that Hanneman has been back on duty since Feb. 28.

“Officer Hanneman was assigned to a role that is the best fit for the needs of the department and his service to the City of Minneapolis. That assignment does not include SWAT,” the spokesperson said.

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The joint statement said it was not the role of both offices to evaluate whether a no-knock warrant was appropriate.

“[Locke] should be alive today, and his death is a tragedy. Amir Locke was not a suspect in the underlying St. Paul criminal investigation nor was he named in the search warrants. Amir Locke is a victim. This tragedy may not have occurred absent the no-knock warrant used in this case,” the statement said.