video shows Minneapolis officers shooting man during no-knock warrant.

[revelarts]

I'll Not to comment more than this post, and one more following
just FYI

Body camera video shows Minneapolis officers shooting Black man during no-knock warrant. Attorneys say he wasn't the target
(CNN)In the early morning hours Wednesday, Minneapolis police officers gently placed a key in a city apartment door before bursting through the doorway yelling "Police! Search warrant!"
In the seconds that followed, a Black man named Amir Locke -- apparently asleep and shown to be holding a gun upon awakening -- was shot and killed.
The shooting by an officer on the SWAT team, in a city that came to represent ground zero for the police reform movement, raised questions from Locke's family and others about the city's warrant policy.
In total, the city released 14 seconds of real time video.
It's not clear what is contained in the warrant, and Minneapolis officials have said the totality of circumstances leading to their officer shooting Locke are now under investigation by the state's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Police said Locke was not named in any search warrants. Attorneys for the man's family say he was in legal possession of his firearm.
The warrants are sealed to "protect the integrity of the investigation" and "until the court directs otherwise," Steve Linders, public information officer with the St. Paul Police Department, which is investigating the homicide relating to the warrants, wrote in a statement.
From the limited amount of video the city released, it's not clear how Minneapolis SWAT members approached the apartment or how they reacted after the shooting.
According to the Star Tribune, interim Minneapolis police chief Amelia Huffman said at a Thursday news conference that "both a knock and no-knock search warrant were obtained" for three locations within the building where the officer shot the man, but she did not elaborate.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/04/us/mi...cke/index.html
Minneapolis police insisted on 'no knock' warrant that led to Amir Locke's shooting death; city announces moratorium
Also, a gun rights group says Locke was acting in self-defense and his being killed by police was "completely avoidable."
https://www.startribune.com

This points out exactly the ORIGINAL problem with "no-knock" warrants.
The practical reason why they should be abolished.
The constitutional reason should have been clear to everyone from the outset. the 4th amendment.

And it's not the 1st time this has happened, and it does not just happen to legal gun owners who are black.
Of course since blacks areas have been overly targeted it's happened more than once.
For instance a 92-year old black woman's was killed (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Kathryn_Johnston) when cops did the same to her home and she fired her gun at people (cops) breaking into her home at night.
But there's no question that it's happen to white gun owners and even people without guns where the cops have violently broken in (no-knock warrants) on the wrong home and shot innocent people dead. Link (https://www.coloradoindependent.com/2007/04/13/documentary-recalls-local-tragedy/)
TO Serve a SEARCH Warrant.
Why should ANYONE die, so LEOs can serve a search warrant?

THIS is the kind of police BS that's need REFORM.

Yeeessss we all know that '99.9999% of cops are 'good'':rolleyes: ...but this procedure is stupid & unconstitutional. And gets people killed. untried and innocent.


BTW has the NRA had a comment on this legal gun owner shot in bed by the cops?
Does the gov't have an open season on gun owners?

[revelarts]

it's been a problem for a longtime

here's some info from an article from 2003
Fifty-seven-year-old Alberta Spruill was getting ready for work on May 16 when a police raiding party in search of a drug dealer broke down the door of her Harlem apartment, tossed in a "flash bang" stun grenade and handcuffed her to a chair. After realizing their mistake--the man they wanted lived in the same building but had been arrested by a different police unit four days earlier--the police uncuffed Ms. Spruill, checked her vital signs and sent her to the Emergency Room. Spruill, however, who suffered from a heart condition, died on the way to the hospital.

Unfortunately, this "tragic mistake" of police bursting into a house, apprehending the residents and only after the fact asking questions is merely one more example in the latest spate of no-knock raids.

In Boston, 13 heavily-armed policemen in black fatigues smashed into the apartment of Acelynne Williams, a 75-year-old retired African-American preacher. Supposedly, they had been working off an anonymous tip that four Jamaican drug dealers lived somewhere in the apartment building. Williams died of a heart attack from the "shock and awe" of being visited by commando-like cops.

Sometimes, even when confronted with obvious errors, law enforcement officials proceed anyway. For example, after having his house raided, Glen Williamson of Louisiana pointed out to the arresting officer that the search warrant actually said "Glen Williams," not "Williamson." In response, the officer added "on" to the name on the warrant and arrested Williamson.
https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/john_whiteheads_commentary/the_real_shock-and-awe_behind_no-knock_police_raids

from other old articles

2013
Henry Magee was sleeping when armed intruders burst into his home last December 19 2013. Knowing only that he and his family were at mortal risk, Magee grabbed a gun and opened fire, fatally wounding Sgt. Adam Sowers, who was part of a police task force carrying out a "no-knock warrant" in search of drugs.
Magee was arrested and charged with murder. On February 6, a grand jury in Burleson County, Texas declined to indict Magee, accepting his claim that he acted in self-defense because he believed his home was being burglarized. Magee still faces charges related to marijuana possession.

2014 Houston
Two men claiming to be police officers broke into the home of a Houston police officer. The resident opened fire on the invaders, driving them away but suffering a minor gunshot wound in the process.
On average, more than one hundred no-knock SWAT raids take place in this country every day. This has inspired a growing number of private criminals to impersonate SWAT teams when they carry out home invasion robberies ? or employ other aggressive tactics.

2010 Houston
In April 2010 two Houston women encountered a roadblock modeled after police checkpoints that have become quite commonplace. As they pulled to a stop, the women were surrounded by armed men who ordered them from the car. The driver had the good sense to hit the gas and pull away. It was their immense good fortune that they were dealing with private criminals. If they had fled a police checkpoint, the most likely would have been killed.

2012 Billings, Montana
The 12-year-old girl was sleeping in her upstairs bedroom when an intruder silently opened the window and inserted an incendiary grenade. Seconds later the terrified child awoke to the horrible scent of her own burning flesh.
Downstairs, her father,(who suffers from heart disease and liver failure) had been startled awake by loud voices and angry pounding on the front door. As he went to see what was happening, the door was thrust open and another incendiary grenade was flung into the home, this one blowing the nails out of drywall in the living room.
... the assailants were members of a federally supervised narcotics task force serving a no-knock warrant to search for a suspected meth lab. No drugs were found, no arrests were made and, as is typical, no apologies were offered to the victims.
http://prolibertate.us/index.php?blog=7&s=no-knock&disp=search&submit=Search




2022 And the Beat goes on...
As i've mentioned before, been talking about police REFORM for DECADES. long before Ferguson, Floyd or BLM.
No-Knock warrants are ONE of the things that's needed addressing LONG ago. And this is not primarily a BLACK WHITE issue, it's a piss poor police unconstitutional procedure issue.

that's all i've got to say about that here.

[Gunny]

This scenario is an often discussed one and has been for years, even among us white, lawful gun owners :rolleyes:

I'm not real keen on "no-knock" warrants. Even in my non-white neighborhood.

[revelarts]

Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus
Press Release


https://gunowners.mn/press-release-minnesota-gun-owners-caucus-responds-to-the-death-of-amir-locke/


SAINT PAUL, MN (February 4, 2022) – While many facts remain unknown at this time, information indicates that Amir Locke was a law-abiding citizen who was lawfully in possession of a firearm when he was shot and killed by Minneapolis Police on the morning of February 2nd.

“As seen in the body-worn camera video released by Minneapolis Police, Mr. Locke appears to be sleeping on the couch during the execution of a no-knock warrant, “ stated Bryan Strawser, Chair, Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus. “He is awoken with a confusing array of commands coming from multiple officers who are pointing lights and firearms at him.”

“Mr. Locke did what many of us might do in the same confusing circumstances, he reached for a legal means of self-defense while he sought to understand what was happening, “ added Rob Doar, Senior VP, Governmental Affairs.

Mr. Locke was not a suspect in the crime for which the warrant was issued and was not named at all in the search warrant.

“The tragic circumstances of Mr. Locke’s death were completely avoidable, “ stated Doar. “It’s yet another example where a no-knock warrant has resulted in the death of an innocent person. In this case, as in others, the public should expect and receive full transparency and accountability from law enforcement agencies that serve and protect our local communities.”

“Amir Locke, a lawful gun owner, should still be alive, “ added Strawser. “Black men, like all citizens, have a right to keep and bear arms. Black men, like all citizens, have the right to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable search and seizure.”

The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus expects a transparent and independent investigation into the circumstances of this tragic incident.

[Gunny]

Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus
Press Release


https://gunowners.mn/press-release-minnesota-gun-owners-caucus-responds-to-the-death-of-amir-locke/

SAINT PAUL, MN (February 4, 2022) – While many facts remain unknown at this time, information indicates that Amir Locke was a law-abiding citizen who was lawfully in possession of a firearm when he was shot and killed by Minneapolis Police on the morning of February 2nd.

“As seen in the body-worn camera video released by Minneapolis Police, Mr. Locke appears to be sleeping on the couch during the execution of a no-knock warrant, “ stated Bryan Strawser, Chair, Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus. “He is awoken with a confusing array of commands coming from multiple officers who are pointing lights and firearms at him.”

“Mr. Locke did what many of us might do in the same confusing circumstances, he reached for a legal means of self-defense while he sought to understand what was happening, “ added Rob Doar, Senior VP, Governmental Affairs.

Mr. Locke was not a suspect in the crime for which the warrant was issued and was not named at all in the search warrant.

“The tragic circumstances of Mr. Locke’s death were completely avoidable, “ stated Doar. “It’s yet another example where a no-knock warrant has resulted in the death of an innocent person. In this case, as in others, the public should expect and receive full transparency and accountability from law enforcement agencies that serve and protect our local communities.”

“Amir Locke, a lawful gun owner, should still be alive, “ added Strawser. “Black men, like all citizens, have a right to keep and bear arms. Black men, like all citizens, have the right to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable search and seizure.”

The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus expects a transparent and independent investigation into the circumstances of this tragic incident.
Like I stated previously, this is not a new topic.

I am not a fan of no-knock warrants, nor the police bursting into people's homes unannounced. BUT ....

Being an upstanding citizen and legal gun owner and not a subject of a search warrant does NOT magically endow said person with the skills nor judgement to be sleeping with one's weapon. Case in point: you come through MY door unannounced like that and I guarantee you the first two or 3 people bursting through the door are going to get shot.

Not bragging. I've been trained for years and YEARS to use firearms and carry one or more 24/7 at times.

Other side of the coin: If I'm on a door breech and the first thing I see is someone sitting up with a firearm, I'm going to open fire.

There's no room for error on either side.

Unfortunate tragedy and an exception rather than the rule. Exceptions don't drive the train except when misrepresented as routine SOP.

[fj1200]

Unfortunate tragedy and an exception rather than the rule. Exceptions don't drive the train except when misrepresented as routine SOP.

I think 99% of the issues today start with that premise.