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Hundreds of people gathered to mourn Locke, the 22-year-old
fatally shot by law enforcement in a Minneapolis apartment
during a no-knock raid. It was the latest in a series of
killings to spark outrage over police treatment of racial
minorities.
Sharpton delivered a eulogy for Locke after a public viewing at
Shiloh Temple International Ministries, a church that serves a
metropolitan area where two high-profile killings of Black men
attracted national attention in the past two years.
Sharpton, who leads the civil rights non-profit National Action
Network, had eulogized Daunte Wright at the same church in April
2021. Wright was shot and killed during a traffic stop in a
nearby suburb.
Wright's death came about a year after the killing of George
Floyd, who died when a Minneapolis police officer used his knee
to pin Floyd's neck to the ground in May 2020. Floyd's death,
captured on a video that went viral, sparked a summer of
protests over racial injustice across the United States and
abroad.
Sharpton called for action from local politicians to pass
legislation banning no-knock warrants.
"If they had passed the no-knock law in Minneapolis, we wouldn't
be at a funeral this morning," Sharpton said from the pulpit. "I
stand here to say you are going to pass the Amir Locke law.
Enough is enough. We are no longer going to be your nameless
suspects."
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has placed a moratorium on no-knock
searches and some state lawmakers are seeking to enact
legislation to limit them.
Locke's family described him as an aspiring rap artist who was
loving to everyone. Sharpton said he was a "clean, stand-up
guy."
Locke was shot and killed by police who obtained a no-knock
warrant to search the apartment as part of a homicide
investigation. He was not named in the warrant.
Court documents released last week showed the warrant had been
approved because the homicide in question had involved a firearm
capable of penetrating police body armor.
Days after his death on Feb. 2, police released video footage of
the raid. It showed Locke holding a gun as he twisted beneath a
blanket on a sofa after being roused by officers. Police say he
pointed the gun at officers before they opened fire. Locke's
family disputes that.
Protests in downtown Minneapolis have drawn hundreds of
demonstrators. They said Locke had a right to possess a weapon
in his own home and was never given the chance to disarm himself
in the chaotic moments as police stormed into his apartment
without warning.
(Reporting by Tyler Clifford, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
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