Minneapolis Police Shot a Black Man While he Was Sleeping

How Blacks are killed while sleeping in their homes?

There are approximately 400 million people in this country and there are 300 million guns in the hands of licensed and unlicensed people. Every single day somebody dies at the hands of a gun. Children, adults, all ethnicities, some victims are intended and some accidental.

Adding to an already bad equation are the police shootings that occur at an alarming and increasing rate when it comes to people of color. Years passed when camera videos and police video cam were not as accessible as today where a lot of shootings are being caught on camera.

Yesterday another appalling murder happened at the hands of the police who were issuing a warrant pertaining to homicide. A black man, Amir Locke, 22 years old, lay on his sofa with what looks like a gun in his hand in the above picture as the police entered minutes later and shot him dead.

According to others, he was a bright light and was moving forward in life making plans for his music career. His next move was to relocate to Dallas, to be near his mother, whose dream was to follow in the footsteps of his father as a hip-hop artist.

According to what I saw on the news, the police had a no-knock warrant as they entered this home where apparently Locke was visiting with his cousin, as the police used a key to open the door. They found him sleeping on the sofa, startled him when they kicked the couch, and minutes later he lay dead.

What is not understood is why did they shoot to kill? Another senseless murder of a black man at the hands of trigger happy police who chose to shoot without provocation. The video cam does not show Locke as a threat. Why the senseless murder.

There has to be more transparency and accountability for these trigger happy police. Killing Blacks is just as bad as the covid pandemic. Black people are been shot like it is open season to do so.

According to the media, without knocking they entered with a key, one officer kicked the couch where Locke was sleeping. Now, if the man was sleeping who was he a treat to? Why couldn’t the police just handcuff him? For Christ’s sake, he was sleeping but why was he shot dead? According to his family, from the videocam, he was wrapped in a comforter, beginning to move with the pistol in his hand just before the officer shot him dead.

Also, he had no criminal record and was a license and concealed-carry permit gun owner for his job as a delivery service driver in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

According to his family, as the police kicked the couch where he laid, it startled him. Why would they do that? What did they expect a deep sleeping man to do? Jump us and say, “How are you, officer?” Who are we kidding here? This was another opportunity to kill a Black man.

Locke was an average kid figuring out his life but was murdered before he got the chance to experience life. His life was stolen by the police. Along with an aspiring music career, he wanted to work with children. Does this sound like someone who is a threat to the community or the police?

No word from the Minneapolis police department yet. These officers deserve the same fate they gave to Locke who did not pose a threat to spend the rest of their lives incarcerated and off the streets for they are the true threat to the Blacks or people of color communities

Based on their actions, law enforcement feels they have some sort of right and badge of honor to kill innocent black men. This killing is no different from George Floyd’s murder at the hands of ex-officer Derek Chauvin who will spend the rest of his life behind bars, a life for a life.

Iconclusion, an eye for an eye, I pray when the officer that shot Locke goes to trial be found guilty and spend the rest of his life incarcerated paying for his wrongful deed. If you do the crime, you got to do the time. These senseless killings based on skin color have got to stop. Transparency, accountability, and anti-racism laws are needed like yesterday. No more qualified immunity via the police officer union. Law enforcement needs to stop the hate.

For additional reads: