Minnesotans react to the fatal shooting of Amir Locke by Minneapolis police

Minnesotans react to the latest Minneapolis police shooting that is getting national attention and sparking outrage in communities across the state after the release of police bodycam video. The shooting that left 22-year-old Amir Locke dead after a group of Minneapolis police SWAT officers entered the apartment he was sleeping in, early Wednesday morning, has rattled Minnesotans.

Interim Minneapolis police Chief Amelia Huffman said officers were executing a search warrant at the request of St. Paul police who are investigating a homicide case. But Locke, who was shot and killed by officers nine seconds after they entered the apartment, was not named in the search warrant and it’s not clear if he figures into the St Paul case. In the one minute video Locke can be seen on a couch, wrapped in a blanket and then holding a gun as he starts to move.

The fatal shooting is renewing the debate about the dangers of so-called “no-knock warrants” and upsetting people who already feel traumatized by the events of the last few years.

Guests:

• Jon Collins is a senior reporter for MPR News.  

• Justin Terrell is executive director of the Minnesota Justice Research Center, a nonprofit organization that works for racial equity and criminal justice reform through research, education and advocacy. Prior to that he was the executive director of the Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage.

• Dr. Joi Lewis is a coach, consultant, community healer and the author of the book “Healing: The Act of Radical Self-Care.”

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