MINNEAPOLIS — The family of Amir Locke, the 22-year-old Black man shot and killed by Minneapolis police during a predawn raid last February, is suing the city and the SWAT officer who pulled the trigger, alleging that the no-knock warrant that resulted in his death is consistent with the city's "custom, pattern and practice of racial discrimination in policing."
The 35-page civil lawsuit filed on behalf of his parents, Karen Wells and Andre Locke, came ahead of a news conference with Locke's family, along with civil rights attorneys Ben Crump, Antonio Romanucci and Jeff Storms. It was filed on the one year-anniversary of Locke's death, observed Thursday with a gathering at the Minnesota State Capitol that included Locke's relatives and more than 100 supporters.
Andre Locke said Friday that the accountability sought for the violations of Locke's constitutional rights as alleged in the lawsuit, mean that his son's death "will not be swept under the rug," and will be impactful in ending no-knock warrants. Addressing his son, he said:
