DALLAS — Amir Locke’s family says the 22-year-old was getting ready to move to Dallas this week to be closer to his mom.
Locke’s mom, Karen Wells, says she just finished purchasing a design logo for her son.
Locke was killed by an officer at the Minneapolis Police Department last week during a no-knock warrant. His name was not listed in the warrant.
“My heart is hurting. Deep pain. Deep sorrow,” said Andre Locke, Amir’s father.
“Never would I have imagined standing up here and talking about the execution of my son by the Minneapolis Police Department. He was at a sleepover at his cousin’s place,” said Wells.
Body camera video shows police using a key to enter an apartment to execute a no-knock warrant, which Locke was not named in.
A SWAT team stormed in, identified themselves and then kicked the sofa where Locke was wrapped in a blanket, sleeping.
Officer Mark Hannaman is seen on camera firing at least 3 shots, killing the 22-year-old man less than 10 seconds after going into the apartment.
Wells says her son had a permit to carry a gun for protection because of his job as a DoorDash food delivery driver.
“My son Amir, who was born and raised in the Twin Cities, law-abiding citizen, did everything he was supposed to do,” Wells said.
According to police, Locke was armed with a handgun and pointed it in the direction of the officers.
“He wasn’t even awake, he was in a deep sleep when the officers entered the residence... I want everyone to know they kicked that couch, and startled him,” said Andre Locke.
Civil rights attorney Justin Moore said it's yet another example of why no-knock warrants "shouldn’t exist in our society," he said. "They are inherently dangerous.”
Some Texas lawmakers attempted to ban these types of warrants in the last session, but the legislature did not do that. The law only mandates that whoever signs a no knock warrant must have a law degree.
”So, we really need to rethink why these warrants are in place, and we really need to rethink how they’re being enacted," Moore said.
Law enforcement officers, like current Cedar Hill ISD chief James Hawthorne, said sometimes they need to go into a home unannounced when dealing with dangerous suspects.
”High-risk narcotics, drug locations, drug cartels - things of that nature - that would make it a pretty risky environment for law enforcement and they need the element of surprise," Hawthorne explained.
But Hawthorne agreed there needs to be more scrutiny about when they’re used.
"You want to make sure that you’re absolutely right when you have to utilize that type of tool," he said. "So, I don’t think they’ll ever go away, but there needs to be a lot of scrutiny behind the process.”
Fort Worth Police has banned them all together. Dallas Police rarely uses them and the warrant has to be approved an Assistant Chief and executed by their SWAT team.
Across Minneapolis, thousands marched the streets demanding the officer be fired.
“Twenty-two days of peace. I want you all to start with 22 days of peace,” Locke said.
Twenty-two days of peace in honor of the 22-year-old who was getting ready to start his own business in the Dallas area, and he was aspiring to be a musician like his father.
Locke’s mom just helped him purchase a design logo where he wanted to help young children.
“Was raised with morals, and values. Loved by so many," she said.
According to police, the raid was part of a homicide investigation in St. Paul.