A civil lawsuit has been filed against the city of Minneapolis by the parents of Amir Locke.
As previously reported, Locke was killed last year by police carrying out a no-knock warrant in search of a homicide suspect at a downtown apartment. Amir was asleep in the living room when officers entered the unit. As he awoke, he grabbed a nearby gun, which he was licensed to carry, and was shot by Officer Mark Hanneman three times.
On Friday (Feb. 3), his family and civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump held a press conference announcing the filing of the suit in their continued fight for justice. The lawsuit alleges that Amir’s Fourth and 14th Amendment rights — the Fourth protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government, and the 14th provides citizens equal protection under the law, barring them from deprivation of life, liberty or property without due process of law — were violated.
CBS News reviewed the suit, which argues the 22-year-old was “gunned down in cold blood” and that he “demonstrated proper and responsible handling by keeping the handgun pointed away from the officers and keeping his finger off the trigger.”
“Amir was a bright light. Amir was a wonderful human being,” said Andre Locke, Amir’s father, during the press conference. “He was everything to each of us. Most of all, he was our son. This entire family’s son, cousin, loved one,” he continued.
In the wrongful death suit, the aspiring rapper’s parents also accused the police department of having improper policies, procedures, training and discriminatory practices involving excessive use of force against Black people. “We all saw that horrific video where Amir Locke didn’t even have a chance … He was practically in slumber when the police did what they do so often with Black people — they shoot first and ask questions later,” said Crump.
View additional remarks from the family below.