Minneapolis mayor halts no-knock warrants after fatal police shooting of Amir Locke

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey imposed a moratorium on both the request and execution of no-knock warrants in the city on Friday following the fatal police shooting of Amir Locke this week.

"No matter what information comes to light, it won't change the fact that Amir Locke's life was cut short," Frey said in a statement, CBS Minnesota reports. "To ensure safety of both the public and officers until a new policy is crafted, I'm issuing a moratorium on both the request and execution of such warrants in Minneapolis."

There is one exception to the moratorium: when there is "an imminent threat of harm to an individual or the public," the mayor's office said. In such a case, the warrant would need to be approved by the Interim Chief Amelia Huffman. In all other cases, warrants must be executed with officers knocking on a door, announcing their presence, and waiting a reasonable time before entering.

Locke, 22, was fatally shot Wednesday morning in a downtown apartment after a SWAT team burst in the door, executing a no-knock warrant. Locke, who was wrapped in a blanket on a couch at the time, sat up with a gun, body-camera video of the shooting showed. Locke, a legal gun owner, was shot three times, and died minutes later.

Frey said the leadership of the Minneapolis Police Department will work with national experts DeRay McKesson and Dr. Pete Kraska of Eastern Kentucky University to review and suggest revisions to the department's policy on no-knock warrants.

"Over the last several years, our team has been working with jurisdictions across the country to implement meaningful changes to search warrant execution laws and policies," McKesson said in a statement. "On our call, it was clear that Mayor Frey is committed to making changes to these processes in order to protect lives in Minneapolis and we are ready to lend a hand in this critical work."

In 2020, Frey issued a policy restricting the execution of no-knock warrants in the city. The policy required that officers announce their presence prior to entry in all but exigent circumstances.

In Locke's killing, the body-camera video released Thursday shows that officers announced their presence as they were entering the apartment, after they'd opened the door.