MN Gun Owners Caucus Defend Amir Locke In Fatal No-Knock Raid

TWIN CITIES, MN — The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus issued a statement Friday defending Amir Locke, the man who was shot and killed by Minneapolis police during a no-knock warrant at an apartment.

The caucus said that Locke was a law-abiding citizen who was lawfully in possession of a firearm when he was killed Wednesday morning. The group also noted that Locke was not a suspect and was not named on the search warrant.

The caucus issued their statement after body-camera footage from the shooting was released.

"As seen in the body-worn camera video released by Minneapolis Police, Mr. Locke appears to be sleeping on the couch during the execution of a no-knock warrant," Bryan Strawser, chair of the caucus, said in a news release.

"He is awoken with a confusing array of commands coming from multiple officers who are pointing lights and firearms at him."

Strawser added that "Black men, like all citizens, have a right to keep and bear arms."

"Mr. Locke did what many of us might do in the same confusing circumstances, he reached for a legal means of self-defense while he sought to understand what was happening," Rob Doar, also with the caucus, added.

No-knock warrants remain legal, but controversial, in Minneapolis.

Read more: Amir Locke Killed In Minneapolis 'No-Knock' Raid: Video Released