Another act of police brutality sparked protests in Minneapolis once more as hundreds rallied to demand justice after the police fatally shot a young black man during a raid on his apartment earlier in the week.

Protestors marched peacefully in the city, chanting the victim's name, Amir Locke, along with "no justice, no peace", the slogan used throughout the BLM protests in the US to demand accountability.

Locke, 22, was killed in his apartment during a no-knock raid, which saw the police shooting him while he was on his couch in the supposed safety of his own home.

Police released footage from the raid showed Locke was holding a gun under his blanket, but he was taken by surprise and did not know it was the police; for all he knew, it could have been someone trying to break into his house.

As #BreonnaTaylor showed us, no-knock warrants have deadly consequences for innocent law-abiding Black people! @MinneapolisPD executed a no-knock warrant yesterday at 6:48am, killing Amir Locke while he was wrapped in a blanket on the couch. Now we demand #JusticeForAmirLocke!! pic.twitter.com/FLKqR0eszP

— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) February 4, 2022

Authorities said the officers were exercising a "no-knock" search warrant, as per which the police are not required to alert occupants or announce their presence before attempting to enter private property.

A judge had issued the warrant in relation to a homicide probe led by Saint Paul Police Department, and Locke's name was not in it. Minneapolis police said it was unclear how or whether he was connected to the ongoing investigation.

Related News

Trump plans 'Golden Fleet' to modernize US Navy: WSJ

After long delay, Hakeem Jeffries endorses Mamdani for NYC mayor

Interim Minneapolis Police Chief Amelia Huffman told a news conference the footage was being reviewed, arguing that Locke had his gun pointed toward officers when they opened fire, though the whole thing took the young man by surprise and he was not aware of who it was breaking into his home.

Protestors and activists argued in his favor, saying he had the right to have a weapon in his possession in his own home, and he was never given any warning or chance to disarm himself in the midst of chaos as the police stormed his apartment without him having any knowledge of what was happening.

Despite the cold, below-freezing weather, some 500 demonstrators gathered to demand an unconditional ban on no-knock warrants, seeing as they can occurrences such as Locke's to happen and kill unsuspecting civilians. They also demanded the dismissal and firing of the officers who perpetrated the shooting, in addition to the resignation of the mayor and the police chief.

The killing sparked another wave of protests demanding racial justice and denouncing police violence against people of color and black people in particular, who were said to have been disproportionately targeted by insensitive and discriminatory law enforcement tactics.

In compliance with the demands, Mayor Jacob Frey ordered a moratorium on "no-knock" search warrants, saying his action was to "ensure the safety of both the public and officer until a new policy is crafted."

Lawyers for Locke's family explained that he had no criminal history whatsoever, and the firearm he had on him at the time of his killing had been legally obtained.

Minneapolis is the city in which George Floyd, an unarmed black man, was killed after a police officer knelt on his neck for over nine minutes over suspicion that he had been trying to make an exchange using a counterfeit $20 bill.

Floyd's murder sparked nationwide demonstrations carrying the slogan of social justice and racial equality as it was part of a series of infringements on black Americans at the hands of the police.

The protests went on to become a global phenomenon, where tens of millions gathered demanding equality and chanting "Black Lives Matter".