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Hundreds gather, march in downtown Minneapolis for Amir Locke

The protests poured into the streets where the hundreds of demonstrators began marching.

MINNEAPOLIS — Hundreds of community members and activists gathered outside the Hennepin County Government Center Saturday afternoon for a protest following the shooting death of Amir Locke by the Minneapolis police on Wednesday.

Demonstrators held signs calling for justice for Locke, who was killed early Wednesday morning inside a downtown Minneapolis apartment while law enforcement executed a no-knock warrant. 

The protest poured into the streets where the hundreds of demonstrators began marching as they called for the immediate firing and prosecution of the officers involved in the shooting.

Many protesters were also calling for the removal of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, with some expressing concern about the continued use of no-knock warrants.

In November 2020, Frey and then-Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo announced a new policy regarding no-knock warrants, requiring all MPD officers to announce themselves and their purpose before entering a residence. There would be exceptions for some circumstances, they said, such as hostage situations.

On Friday, Mayor Frey announced a moratorium on no-knock warrants in the city in response to Locke's death.

“To ensure safety of both the public and officers until a new policy is crafted, I’m issuing a moratorium on both the request and execution of such warrants in Minneapolis," said Frey in a statement released Friday.

Saturday's protest comes on the heels of a protest Friday evening where dozens of people participated in a car caravan where they sounded their horns to show their support for Locke's family.

"Amir was a bright light and he deserves to be able to shine," said Amir's father, Andre Locke.

"This is very, very detrimental and heart-wrenching, and hard because I was always an advocate for the families that went through this," said Amir's mother, Karen Wells on Friday. 

Editor's Note: This is a developing story and will be updated.

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