outrage is growing over a deadly police shooting in
Minneapolis early Wednesday mor we want to warn
you the police body cam footage is graphic and may be
difficult to watch a swat team carrying out a no knock
warrant shot and killed a mir lock. The 22 year old
black man was not the subject of the warrant and as
seen in the video was asleep under blankets when
officers entered the intern Minneapolis police chief
said, officers quote loudly and repeatedly announced
they were there before they went into the apartment.
The video doesn't show that Minnesota Attorney General
keith Ellison will join in the review of the body cam
footage. We're joined now by Newsy justice
correspondent, Jamal andress Ja can you walk us
through what happened Yeah, yeah, absolutely. You know
Bianca before we show the video, I want to mention a
couple of things, One that you touched on already.
First that a mere lot was not the subject of that
search warrant. And second uh this also was that
investigation carry only owned by the ST paul Police
department rather than the Minneapolis police
Department MPB was sort of carrying out the search
warrant, but this was ST paul's investigation. Um so as
the video start to provide a little contact, you know,
this is seven a.m. In the morning, we see that these
officers have a key and again, we don't hear them on
this video announce themselves before entering the
threshold after they enter the threshold. That's when
you start hearing search warrant MPD repeatedly over
and over by these officers uh after they get into the
building, they actually kicked the couch, you'll see
them sort of kick the couch once they get in and
startled a mir lock in that situation. Uh, and and
shortly after that is when he sort of emerges from
under the covers, he was in the family says he was
sleep, this was a friend's house, he was sleeping over
there and and then shortly after that that is when you
see the gun emerged. The last thing I want to mention
in regards to that firearm is that if you watch it
closely, his finger is not actually on the trigger. And
I don't say that to say the police officers saw tha
his finger wasn't on the trigger, but you watch it
closely. His finger was not on the trigger, sort of
speaking to potentially his intent with that firearm.
As you, as you may have heard by this point, he was
licensed to carry that firearm, It was illegally owned
weapons. Uh, and again, a lot of answers here. We just
recently heard from the family of the Mayor locke who
spoke about his death during a press conference joine
by civil rights attorney Ben Crump. And obviously they
are devastated with this. This all takes place in less
than a minute. And and it's reminiscent of so many
police shootings that we have seen where officers lean
on the fact that this is a split second decision and
family members point to point out that uh, It was a
split second situation for this victim as well. Amir
lives 22 year old and we know Minneapolis changed the
no knock policy a little over a year ago. What else can
you tell us about that Yeah, I'm really glad you
mentioned that Bianca look, uh, this is one of the few
policy changes that many people agreed on that. We
really saw some movement along with uh, no standing
chokeholds. This obviously come from the death of
Brianna Taylor. A similar situation where uh, Briana
Taylor is killed in her home during a no knock warrant
in Louisville Kentucky ah, her boyfriend at the time
had a gun. Uh, and, and essentially didn't know who
at the door and and fired at officers to give you an
idea 17 state enacted legislation as well as the
Department of Justice to ban no knock warrants. That
includes uh, Minneapolis, which essentially ruled this
out in november of 2020. Uh, you know, a little over a
year ago. And so again, a longstanding policy at this
point for the Minneapolis Police department s
all the unrest We saw in 2020 Newsy justice
correspondent, Jamal Andrews. T so much for that
reporting