Cop safety cited in no-knock warrant ahead of Locke’s death
MINNEAPOLIS — Authorities searching the Minneapolis apartment where Amir Locke was killed by a SWAT team member said a no-knock search warrant was necessary to protect the public and officers as they looked for guns, drugs and clothing worn by people suspected in a violent murder, according to documents made public Thursday.
The applications for the search warrants executed at the apartment complex on Feb. 2 were released the same day that Locke’s family renewed a call for a ban on no-knock warrants.
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Although some names are redacted, Minneapolis police have said the 22-year-old Locke, who was Black, was not named in the warrants. Locke’s 17-year-old cousin, Mekhi Camden Speed, was named and was arrested this week and charged with two counts of second-degree murder.
In the search warrant applications, St. Paul police Officer Daniel Zebro asked that officers be allowed to conduct the search without knocking, and outside the hours of 7 a.m. and 8 p.m., because the suspects being sought in the Jan. 10 murder of Otis Elder had a history of violence. Zebro also noted that Elder was killed with a .223 caliber firearm, which he said could pierce body armor.
“A no-knock warrant enables officers to execute the warrant more safely by allowing officers to make entry into the apartment without alerting the suspects inside,” Zebro wrote. “This will not only increase officer safety, but it will also decrease the risk for injuries to the suspects and other residents nearby.”
The warrant was signed by Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill, who presided last spring over former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin’s murder trial in George Floyd’s killing. A court spokesman said Cahill could not comment on the warrant because the case is pending.
Locke was killed seconds after the SWAT team entered the apartment where his family said he was staying. Body camera video shows an officer using a key to unlock the door and enter, followed by at least four officers in uniform and protective vests, time-stamped at about 6:48 a.m. As they enter, they repeatedly shout, “Police, search warrant!” They also shout “Hands!” and “Get on the ground!”
The video shows an officer kicking a sectional sofa, and Locke is seen wrapped in a comforter, holding a pistol. Three shots are heard and the video ends.
