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Having a gun isnt illegal (at least on the surface). We cant have this both ways where guns are legal, and the 2nd amendment is an important right, but it's ok to shoot someone who possess one, especially in a private residence. No knock warrants are dangerous and need to be illegal, unless it is an extreme situation.
He wasnt even the person they were looking for, and he was asleep when they busted in. I think most people who are awakened with people entering their home arent going to be immediately aware of what is happening. I believe I read the body cam footage never shows him pointing the gun at the cops either, but I haven't watched it, so that could be wrong.
In the current atmosphere, I've got to assume that he had to have done something pretty terrible for the cops to obtain a no-knock warrant. It's not like the investigators and judge aren't aware of the Breonna Taylor fiasco.
He wasnt the right person, the warrant wasnt for him. This is exactly like the Breonna Taylor situation, except I dont think anyone actually shot at the cops.
He was a door dash driver who passed a background check to get a concealed permit.
"The search warrants that led the SWAT team to enter the apartment were filed under seal and will not be made public immediately."
www.cnn.com
A person could pass a background check on one day and become a murderer 2 days later.
Yeah but Knighttime said that "I'm sure he was an out of control felon." That presupposes that the guy had a record that would've precluded him from passing a background check. He had a right to carry, a right to be in his cousin's house, and a right to defend himself. The police identified themselves clearly and properly but the question is what is reasonable for any person in Locke's situation to perceive in that instance. It's not hard at all to agree that he perceived a deadly threat to his person at that moment and that his brandishing met all of the self-defense attributes.
There’s just no reason that no-knock warrants are justified outside of perhaps a hostage/kidnapping situation. And even then, there should be stiff punishments if it’s later found out the situation didn’t call for a no-knock - for everyone involved.
Not exactly like, just similar. In this case, they were serving a no-knock on a suspected murderer. In Taylor's case, they were serving it on a suspected drug dealer. One is suspected of having used deadly violence and the other wasn't. So you could say the no-knock probably would've been more understandable against the residence of Locke's cousin.
I'm cool with that, just as long as it doesn't just come down on the cop that pulled the trigger. Everybody involved needs to be held to the same account if it's a FUBAR situation
If the officers serving the warrant were doing so in good faith and followed procedures and addressed a deadly threat appropriately, the should have qualified immunity. If there is a reasonable answer to why they went no-knock, then it’s a terrible situation. There are circumstances where everyone acts reasonably and in good faith where people die anyways.
Yep, the problem is standard police procedure tends to take every power, and make it the default. It's not the police, it's their procedures, what they've been allowed to do. Asset forfeiture is now a default tool, no longer reserved for extreme circumstances.
The current atmosphere being that cops are very highly scrutinized in what they do on a national level. Any minor screw up and you'll be a headline for weeks.
Statistically, it does. We cannot ignore that.
Which is why we need to change police procedure to reduce these cases. Seriously.
Man, you really get upset at the victims when police murder black folks, Lil' Himmler.
That, AND recognize that the sensationalists like Crump will use any opportunity they can to pounce.
These last few years really should be a 'wake up call' for Americans to start thinking far more Libetarian, than the 2 Tribes.
I can tell you that asset forfeiture is not a default tool in a number of Orlando area departments. I’d also bet that we could walk down the procedural book and it’s not what you think it is. I know there are some out of control departments, but most of the ones that I know today aren’t the extreme example that we read so much about.
Which is why when police procedure causes regular violations of civil liberties, African-Americans are the most impacted. If we'd change procedure, we'd cut down on those ... a lot!
Just like 98%+ of police are not remotely even close to being bigots on their worst day.
I'm all for constant review of policing policies. But the real way to eliminate these cases is to change the subculture of criminality that is pervasive in our society.
The guy was sleeping on the couch before getting murdered. There was no criminality involved.
Is this gonna be another one of those "black dudes don't flex on others by tying a noose around their neck"?
The resident of the house, his cousin, was a strong enough suspect for committing a murder that a judge agreed that there was both probable cause and enough danger to grant a no-knock warrant to apprehend him. Amir Locke was innocent but he was sleeping in the house of a guy who was strongly suspected of being a murderer. To say that there was no criminal act preceding this warrant is a flat-out lie.
The judge is clearly racist here. After feeling that there was probable cause, the judge asked, "What's his race?" When he heard from the DA "xyz minority," probable immediately went to definite, and here we are.
