Family of Amir Locke files wrongful-death lawsuit in Minneapolis

Feb 3 (Reuters) – The household of Amir Locke, a Black man who was killed by Minneapolis police throughout a no-knock raid on an condominium final 12 months, has filed a wrongful demise lawsuit in opposition to town and the officer who fired the deadly gunshots.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Courtroom for Minnesota on behalf of the mother and father of the 22-year-old Locke, was introduced on Friday by civil rights legal professional Ben Crump and different legal professionals representing the household.

It accuses the officer, Mark Hanneman, of violating Locke’s rights beneath the Fourth and Fourteenth amendments of the U.S. Structure, amongst different claims. The household is searching for compensatory, particular and punitive damages in an quantity to be decided by a jury, based on the grievance.

“Our hearts are damaged, and there’s nothing on this planet that may make that higher,” his mother and father, Karen Wells and Andre Locke, stated in an announcement. “We now combat for justice in his title and hope significant change will likely be his legacy.”

The town of Minneapolis stated it will evaluate the grievance as soon as it has obtained the doc. The town’s police division stated it can not touch upon ongoing litigation.

Prosecutors had declined to convey felony fees within the case.

The Locke case has prompted comparisons with the 2020 killing of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black lady whom police fatally shot throughout a no-knock raid on her Louisville, Kentucky, condominium.

Locke was killed on Feb. 2, 2022, by a shot fired by Hanneman, a member of town’s SWAT staff, because it executed a warrant during which Locke was not named as a topic. The warrant was a part of an investigation right into a deadly taking pictures in neighboring St. Paul.

Police launched video footage from the raid the next day.

Locke was sleeping on a sofa with a handgun inside attain on the time of the raid. The swimsuit alleges that SWAT officers didn’t establish themselves and shouted complicated instructions upon coming into. When Locke reached beneath a canopy for the gun, Hanneman shot him 3 times, the swimsuit stated.

“Hanneman failed to provide Amir any such alternative although Amir by no means pointed the handgun at Hanneman or put his finger on the set off,” the swimsuit stated.

The swimsuit alleges that Minneapolis had insurance policies that allowed for racial discrimination in policing and using extreme power, and claims town didn’t correctly prepare the police power.

The taking pictures and backlash from the group prompted town to impose strict limits on using no-knock warrants.

(This story has been refiled to say ‘recordsdata’ as a substitute of ‘file’ within the headline)

Reporting by Tyler Clifford in New York; Modifying by Leslie Adler

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