BCA forwards Locke case to Hennepin County Attorney’s Office for charging decision

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says it has completed its investigation of the police killing of Amir Locke and has passed the case along for a charging decision.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman received the case Tuesday, and his office said it is under review.

Locke, 22, was shot and killed the morning of Feb. 2 as a Minneapolis Police Department SWAT team was serving a no-knock search warrant at the Bolero Flats apartment building in connection with a St. Paul homicide case. Locke was not named in the search warrant.

Body camera footage of the incident shows the SWAT team unlock the door to the apartment with a key, open the door and yell, “Police search warrant!” as they step into the apartment. Locke is seen laying on a couch underneath a blanket in the living room and only appears to rise after an officer kicks the sofa.

When Locke emerges, he is seen holding a handgun pointed at the ground with his finger pointed out and off the trigger. At that point, Minneapolis Police Officer Mark Hanneman fires shots from off camera. The entire encounter lasts roughly nine seconds.

Hanneman remains on leave.

5 INVESTIGATES found that Hanneman had previously violated a man’s constitutional rights while executing a search warrant in November 2020.

Locke’s killing prompted local and state leaders to reassess the use of no-knock warrants.

Earlier this month, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey proposed a policy that would bar the city’s police department from applying for or executing no-knock warrants. And in the Minnesota House, a bill to completely ban no-knock warrants statewide has made its way to the House floor.