Amir Locke's tearful parents say their 'good kid' had ambitions, was respectful of police
In an emotional press conference, the parents of 22-year-old Amir Locke mourned their "good kid" with a "beautiful smile," and called for justice after he was shot dead by a Minneapolis police officer during a Wednesday morning raid.
His father, Andre Locke and mother Karen Wells, joined family attorneys Benjamin Crump, Jeff Storms, and Tony Romanucci Wednesday morning, just two days after Locke died following the execution of a no-knock warrant by an MPD SWAT team at the Bolero Flats apartment building in downtown Minneapolis.
Locke's parents described him as a "good kid" with ambitions, who promised to "take care" of his family, a talented musician who was optimistic with plans to grow his career and help young people.
It was also revealed that he had planned to leave Minneapolis to stay with his mother in Dallas, Texas, as soon as next week to kickstart his career, with his father saying: "We talked about it would be better to leave Minneapolis."
Amir had a legal permit to carry a firearm, they said, noting that he had been recently working as a DoorDash driver at a time, with his father saying he wanted to protect himself amid a reported rise in carjackings across the metro, with rideshare and delivery drivers among those targeted.
Andre Locke said that their family has a law enforcement background, with cousins who work with sheriff's offices in Chicago, as well as another cousin in federal law enforcement who was a "mentor" to Amir.
Related:
- Police release bodycam video showing killing of Amir Locke
- Amir Locke: MPD chief, Frey scrutinized at tense press conference
Locke and Wells said they had always raised their children to be respectful of law enforcement, and to take steps to ensure their safety in the event they were pulled over, or approached by police.
But, they say, Amir wasn't given any chance to do so when a SWAT team suddenly burst into an apartment while he was sleeping on the couch as they carried out a search warrant relating to a St. Paul homicide, on which Amir wasn't named.
"Amir didn't deserve what happened. Amir was surprised. Life was taken from him, in an unjust way," Andre Locke said. "My son was startled when that officer kicked the couch. The kid was a deep sleeper, it takes a lot to wake him up. For them to kick the couch and startle him. Those officers aggravated him, almost like they wanted him to reach for something. To take his life."
"He was very respectful, he was raised with morals and values," Wells said. "He respected law enforcement. We always made sure that all of our sons knew what to do whenever they encountered police officers. They always knew what happened in this world to unarmed Black males."
"My son didn't deserve it, the rest of the Black males in this city and across this nation didn't deserve it," she added.
When asked what they would miss most about their son, Andre Locke said: "He was funny. What I enjoyed about him he enjoyed learning. He wasn't the type of kid that he felt he knew everything. He would always research everything.
"He was a protector of the family. He wanted to make a difference. [I'll miss] being able to talk to him and talk about the plans he intended. I miss him saying 'don't worry dad, I'll take care of all of the family.'"
His mother responded: "[I'll miss] his laugh, and his beautiful smile. We would always Facetime when we were away from each other. We always ended our phone calls telling each other we loved each other. I'm gonna miss being able to see my son grow into a man. I'm going to miss that he didn't get the chance to become a father, to give us grandchildren."
'When will the city learn from its mistakes?'
Before Locke's parents spoke, the attorneys representing the family joined to slam the City of Minneapolis and Minneapolis Police Department for failing to make the changes they believe are needed after the death of George Floyd and the high-profile deaths of other Black people at the hands of law enforcement nationwide.
After seeing the bodycam video on Thursday evening, attorney Tony Romanucci said that his first reaction was, "it's wrong."
He criticized MPD for not announcing themselves before they entered, not knocking, and failing to identify who they were looking for. He also said the seven seconds of time that elapsed between entering the apartment and shooting Amir was too short.
Storms asked "when is this city going to hold itself accountable?" highlighting among other things how in the wake of the killing of Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and MPD had pledged to restrict the use of no-knock warrants.
"We have a city that refuses to learn. We have a man called David Smith who died in a very similar circumstances to George Floyd. Ten years later we had one of the most horrific civil rights violations with the murder of George Floyd.
"In the wake of George Floyd we had the issue of no-knock warrants, and the city acted as if it did learn by saying it was going to limit them. If you look at it, you would have believed the City of Minneapolis banned no-knock warrants. They are still allowing them to occur.
"You see ... the police department say they announced at the threshold. You've seen the video, there's no announcement prior to entering, they barge in ... and they don't give Amir the opportunity to save his life. That's something we don't see white citizens encounter.
"Our city has to do better. We continue to be known for these colossal civil rights failures. Is the city going to hold itself accountable, and can we believe the city anymore when it says it's going to learn from its mistakes and the high-profile mistakes of others?"
