Bodycam video shows man under blanket, holding gun before Minneapolis cop shoots
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Updated Feb. 4, 9:06 a.m. | Posted Feb. 3, 8:45 p.m.
Body camera footage of Wednesday’s fatal shooting of Amir Locke by Minneapolis police inside a downtown apartment shows a SWAT team entering the apartment with a key, without knocking, shouting “police search warrant” several times as officers enter and then quickly approach a couch with a figure wrapped in a blanket.
An officer kicks the couch. Police can be heard yelling “get on the ground” and “show me your hands.” Locke, 22, can been seen stirring from the blanket and then holding a gun as he starts to move, just before he is shot about nine seconds after the police enter.
“This video raises about as many questions as it answers,” Mayor Jacob Frey told reporters following the release of the footage late Thursday. “We intend to get answers as quickly as possible.”
The search warrant was tied to a St. Paul homicide investigation. Locke was not named in the search warrant and it’s not clear if he figures into the St. Paul case, Amelia Huffman, the interim Minneapolis police chief, said after the video’s release.
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On Friday morning, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said he and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison would jointly review the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigation of the shooting when completed to consider possible charges.
The footage released by the city shows the incident at normal, slow and very slow speeds, from the time officers enter to when one officer fires three shots in rapid succession, before the video abruptly stops.
Its release came as pressure mounted on Frey to make it public. The mayor had insisted that Locke’s family be allowed to watch the video before it was publicly released. He said the family saw the video earlier in the day Thursday.
The shooting happened shortly before 7 a.m. Wednesday. Minneapolis SWAT team members entered the apartment in a building across the street from Orchestra Hall.
A later statement by the department alleged that the man pointed the gun in the direction of police. Huffman stood by that on Thursday, although the video released isn’t clear on whether the gun was pointed at an officer.
A report from the Minneapolis Fire Department described two gunshot wounds to Locke’s chest and one on his wrist. Locke was later declared dead at HCMC.
The city identified police officer Mark Hanneman as the officer who fired on the man. City records say Hanneman started working at the Police Department in August 2015. Three complaints have been made about Hanneman to the city’s Office of Police Conduct and Review, although they were closed without disciplinary action.
A spokesperson for the Minneapolis Police Department confirmed that Hanneman has been on paid administrative leave since Wednesday.
Minneapolis police officials had announced in November 2020 that the department was limiting use of so-called “no knock” warrants, either for searches or arrests, in which officers don't ask for entry into a target location or announce their intentions before going in.
Huffman on Thursday said knock and no-knock warrants had been obtained for Wednesday’s action. The department will review its policies and procedures to see if any were violated, she added.
“We all know these events happen very rapidly, and as there's a gun emerging in your direction you’re forced to make a split-second decision about when it’s a threat,” she said.
Activists who attended the press conference were critical of initial statements about the incident and said city officials weren't being truthful.
“What we are seeing is business as usual,” said civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong. “If (police) knew that the kid had a gun as he started waking up, say ‘Drop your weapon.’ They didn’t do that.”
Attorney Ben Crump, who represented George Floyd’s family following his killing while in Minneapolis police custody, is representing Locke’s family. In a statement, Crump said Locke had no past criminal history and legally possessed a gun.
Crump and Locke’s family members are expected to speak to reporters Friday morning.
Watch Mayor Jacob Frey and interim police chief Amelia Huffman speak to reporters following release of the body camera footage:
