The Minneapolis Police Department is trying to control the narrative surrounding the shooting death of a young Black man this week during the botched execution of a no-knock warrant for which he was not the subject.

It took just about 10 seconds in total for what seemed like dozens of officers to rush into an apartment where Amir Locke appeared to be sleeping on a sofa and shoot him three times on Wednesday. Because the shooting reportedly unfolded so quickly, the Minneapolis Police Department released an edited version of the bodycam footage that was only played in slow motion.

This is my cousin,Amir Locke. He’s been shot and killed,me and my family has seen the body cam. Say his name. #BLM #Minneapolis pic.twitter.com/m0JkHLXkYW

— (Kiri or Jackie ON BREAK) (@izuku_blk) February 4, 2022

Even with the speed altered, the 55-second video makes it very clear that Locke — who was shown gripping a legally owned gun for which he is licensed and allowed to use in self-defense — likely had no clue what was happening as cops stormed the apartment. The 22-year-old was shown wrapped in a blanket that was over his head while lying down in a position that suggested he was sleeping when police entered the apartment. The video showed him scrambling to move the blanket from over from his face when he was shot multiple times.

The Minneapolis Police Department insisted in a press release that the officers involved “loudly and repeatedly announced their presence,” but because the bodycam video has already been altered to distort voices and sounds, it wasn’t clear how true that was. The press release also said officers “immediately provided emergency aid,” but that part was not included in the video footage the cops released.

The press release makes no reference to the person who the search warrant authorized them to look for. However, it does refer to Locke as a “suspect” on four separate occasions.

At a press conference this evening, Mayor Frey talks about the importance of getting the facts right, then is unable to answer the question: “Why was Amir Locke referred to as a suspect in MPD’s press release?”https://t.co/2wqWtdNF2c pic.twitter.com/WjZn4AOfa1

— Wedge LIVE! (@WedgeLIVE) February 4, 2022

These points were raised during a press conference on Thursday conducted by interim Minneapolis Police Chief Amelia Huffman and Mayor Jacob Frey when civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong confronted them both and demanded transparency in no uncertain terms.

Amir Locke’s family says he was sleeping on the couch of a family member’s apt when police entered the apt executing a search warrant seeking 3 people, none of whom were Locke & that he was a licensed gun owner & was startled from the pre-dawn police actions & sought protection. pic.twitter.com/fYdT7F9zj2

— Unicorn Riot (@UR_Ninja) February 3, 2022

“I can’t tolerate the whitewashing,” Armstrong, co-chair of the Minneapolis public Safety Commission, told Huffman and Frey directly before adding, “you guys aren’t gonna waste my goddamned time.”

Civil rights attorney @nvlevy just stood up during Chief Huffman and Mayor Frey’s scripted news conference about the cops murdering Amir Locke and told them they’re full of shit. Never seen anything like this. #mpls pic.twitter.com/PRKrpDqIlp

— Chad Loder (@chadloder) February 4, 2022

Huffman — who ultimately confirmed Locke was not a suspect — and Frey ended up abruptly leaving the press conference as questions were still being asked.

resign @MayorFrey @Jacob_Frey
resign Amelia Huffman
defund & abolish MPD#AmirLocke pic.twitter.com/xa4pexYCoz

— anthony.app (@4cm4k1) February 4, 2022

Minnesota State Senator Omar Fateh characterized the shooting as a “break-in and murder.”

The body cam footage depicts Amir Locke waking up not from a knock at the door but from armed men screaming at him from inside the apartment. It is clear he had no time to process what was happening nor who was doing it. This was a break-in and murder. #JusticeForAmirLocke

— Senator Omar Fateh (@OmarFatehMN) February 4, 2022

The police officer who killed Locke was identified as Mark Hanneman, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump has been retained to represent Locke’s family.

“All available information reflects that Locke was not the subject of that warrant,” a press release from Crump’s office said in part before adding that Locke “has several family members in law enforcement and no past criminal history, legally possessed a firearm at the time of his death.”

Crump compared Locke’s killing to Breonna Taylor‘s death.

“This is yet another example of why we need to put an end to these kinds of search warrants so that one day, Black Americans will be able to sleep safely in their beds at night,” Crump said. “We will continue pushing for answers in this case so that Amir’s grieving family can get the closure they deserve.”

Locke’s family has scheduled a press conference for Friday morning.

The edited bodycam footage released by the Minneapolis Police Department follows below.

To be sure, no-knock warrants have a very real history of going wrong. They often times allow law enforcement to legally raid private property without warning disproportionately target Black, brown and poor people, resulting in civil rights lawsuits and in some cases prompting police departments to abandon the controversial practice. No-knock warrants are also rooted in the war on drugs, an ineffective pretense based on racial profiling.

This is America.

SEE ALSO:

Off-Duty NC Cop Kills Black Man ‘Just Walking Home’ In Shooting With Questionable Police Narrative

NJ Cops ‘Murdered’ Thelonious ‘RaRa’ McKnight ‘With His Hands Up,’ Witness And Protesters Say

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