Parents of Amir Locke, a young black man, who was shot dead by police officers in the United States, have called for justice.
During a press conference on Friday, the aggrieved parents said the Minneapolis officers “executed” their son and gave him no chance of survival, AFP reports.
Locke, 2#, was shot by officers carrying out a search warrant on his apartment on Wednesday.
In a video capturing the incident, an officer used a key to unlock the door and then a group of officers got into the apartment.
Locke, who laid on a couch, rose from beneath a blanket with a gun in his hand when police fired a shot.
According to the report, the total time between the officers’ entrance and the shots fired was less than 10 seconds.
Locke was pronounced dead at the hospital.
His mother, Karen Wells, said at the press conference, “A mother should never have to see her child executed in that type of manner,” adding she would fight until her son “gets justice.”
Locke’s father, Andre, said he watched the video with “disbelief and anger”.
He said his son, who he stressed had no criminal record and held a gun permit, was a “deep sleeper.”
“He did what any reasonable, law-abiding citizen would do, white or black,” Andre said.
He said police could have done “anything differently,” including ordering his son to drop his weapon before opening fire.
“It seemed that he didn’t have a chance,” he said.
The death of the young man has reopened the wounds caused by the killing of George Floyd in May 2020 when white ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
To ease tensions, the Minnesota State Attorney-General, Keith Ellison promised to conduct a “fair and thorough” investigation of the events.
RelatedPosts
