Amir Locke’s cousin has been arrested in the homicide case that led to police fatally shooting Amir Locke in error.
On Feb. 8, a 17-year-old suspect was arrested Monday in Winona, Minnesota, in connection with the Jan. 10 fatal shooting of Otis Elder, St. Paul police said. He was charged with second-degree murder. His name is not being released because he is a minor.
A 17-year-old male was arrested at about 3:45 p.m. yesterday in Winona, Minn., by the Southeast Metro Task Force, the Ramsey County Violent Crime Enforcement Team and members of the SPPD Special Investigations Unit.
— Saint Paul Police Department (@sppdmn) February 8, 2022
The department confirmed Tuesday that the suspect is related to the no-knock warrant served at a Minneapolis apartment last week that resulted in a SWAT officer killing Locke.
“We can confirm that the charged teenager is Amir Locke’s cousin,” attorneys for Locke’s family said in a statement Tuesday.
“His cousin was not present in Unit 701, where the no-knock warrant and Amir were both executed,” the statement said. “All available information confirms that Amir was never a target of that investigation or those search warrants.”
NEWS ALERT: @AttorneyCrump, @Jeff_Storms, and Antonio Romanucci respond to the arrest of Amir Locke’s cousin, the subject of a no-knock search warrant that led to Amir’s death. pic.twitter.com/FbNM0QMxoh
— Ben Crump Law, PLLC (@BenCrumpLaw) February 8, 2022
Locke, 22, was fatally shot when officers stormed in and found him on the couch covered in a blanket. Minneapolis police said the officer opened fire after seeing the barrel of a gun come into view from under the blanket.
Locke’s death has sparked outrage in Minneapolis, where Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd, then a Minneapolis police officer, in 2020 and reignited criticism over the use of force and no-knock warrants.
Rioters in Minneapolis vandalized buildings and blocked traffic on Friday night while demanding justice following the death of Amir Locke. According to Fox 9 Minneapolis, around 50 to 100 protesters marched throughout the city and gathered outside the Minneapolis Police Department’s fifth precinct and stopped traffic.
Locke’s parents have called his death an execution, noting he had no criminal record and comes from a family with law enforcement ties.
They said Locke was a deep sleeper and was startled when the SWAT team stormed into the apartment and an officer kicked the couch he was sleeping on. They said he reached for a legal firearm to protect himself.
