Amir Locke's death highlights perils for Black gun owners

[Nevilledog]

https://abcnews.go.com/US/amir-lockes-death-highlights-perils-black-gun-owners/story?id=82774710

Amir Locke was fatally shot by Minneapolis police officers in an apartment early Wednesday morning as officers were executing a "no-knock" search warrant.

Locke, a legal gun owner, had been sleeping under a blanket on the couch, and body camera footage shows a gun in his hand as he begins to sit up when police begin to approach him.

An officer can be seen shooting him less than 10 seconds after entering the room: "That's the moment when the officer had to make a split-second decision to assess the circumstances and determine whether he felt like there was an articulable threat," according to acting Minneapolis Police Chief Amelia Huffman.

Locke was not a suspect in the crime for which the warrant was issued and was not named n the document.

Many advocates say his case highlights the dangers of legal gun ownership for Black Americans due to racism and implicit bias.

*snip*

[ProudMNDemocrat]

1. The 2nd Amendment must be for White Gun owners only it seems....

The same thing happened in Saint Paul to Philando Castille. He too was a LEGAL gun owner. When the car he was riding in was stopped over in Falcon Heights area ;according to Court testimony from his girlfriend, Castille had told the Officer he had a gun in the glove box and would hand it over. Reaching to hand over the gun, Castille was literally gunned down in cold blood. His 4 year old daughter was in the backseat of the car and saw it all. How traumatic for her.

I find it utterly horrifying that Amir Locke posed a threat to a team of armed Minneapolis police while covered in a blanket. This shit has to stop.

[onecaliberal]

3. All amendments were written for white men by white men only.

[madville]

2. Anyone with a gun in their hand is a target

It’s how they are trained, to instinctively neutralize the threat the instant it is recognized.

When police are responding to a burglary, home invasion, active shooter, or executing a search warrant/no knock, you’re gonna get shot if you have a gun in your hand. There are countless articles and incidents of innocent people, white and black, getting killed by police for simply holding a gun, even in their own homes.

They even kill other cops, a responding deputy recently shot and killed this off-duty cop who was chasing a burglar in his neighborhood. https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/02/01/homeowner-who-reported-intruder-is-fatally-shot-by-deputy/amp/

[stopdiggin]

4. I think this is a lot more accurate

My honest belief is that a white guy (or Asian or Aleut) is going to get shot in this situation. Cops - guns - just never going to mix well together. Are there other issues involving profiling, gun ownership, LE training and hair-trigger personnel - no question at all. But, in this particular incidence - it was the no-knock warrant that got this man killed. Dangerous as hell. LE simply has to come up with better methods.

[USALiberal]

5. So, if I was going to do a home invasion....

If I was going to do a home invasion I would kick open the door and yell “police”!


It comes down to they need to get rid of no knock warrants. How do you know it’s really the police?