(Reuters) – A 17-year-old has been arrested in connection with a homicide probe that led police to the Minneapolis apartment where they shot dead a young Black man during a “no-knock” raid last week, authorities said on Tuesday.
Police in neighboring Saint Paul said a 17-year-old had been arrested Monday in connection with a Jan. 10 homicide, adding: “This arrest is related to the search warrants that were served last week in Minneapolis.”
The fatal shooting of Amir Locke, 22, in his apartment in Minneapolis, the state’s largest city, has drawn protests against “no knock” search warrants authorizing police to enter private property without first alerting occupants.
The warrant that led to Locke’s death was issued in relation to a homicide investigation from the Saint Paul Police Department. Locke was not named in the warrant, and police have acknowledged it was unclear if he was connected.
Search warrants related to the case will likely be unsealed after charges have been filed, which is expected later on Tuesday, the department said on Twitter.
The day after Locke’s killing, police released video footage https://www.reuters.com/world/us/minneapolis-police-releases-video-swat-team-shooting-dead-armed-black-man-2022-02-04 from the raid that showed the Black man was holding a gun as he twisted beneath a blanket on his sofa after being roused by officers.
Activists at a Minneapolis protest https://www.reuters.com/world/us/hundreds-minneapolis-protest-police-killing-black-man-raid-2022-02-06 on Saturday said Locke had a right to possess a weapon and was never given the chance to disarm himself in the chaotic moments as police rushed into the apartment.
Students in Minneapolis were planning a walkout Tuesday.
The incident is the latest to put the Minneapolis police department under scrutiny. Almost two years ago, George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, was killed by a white officer who knelt on his neck for over nine minutes during an arrest.
Outrage over Floyd’s death sparked a nationwide movement challenging police brutality and bias in the U.S. criminal justice system.
(Reporting by Rami Ayyub; Editing by David Gregorio)
