A suspect in the homicide case that resulted in Amir Locke's death was apprehended and verified by Locke's family to be his cousin.
Mekhi Speed, a 17-year-old cousin of Locke who will be 18 in a month, was detained in Winona, Minnesota, about 3:45 pm on Monday in connection with the deadly shooting of Otis Elder on January 10, according to St. Paul police.
Cousin of Amir Locke Arrested for Murder
On Tuesday, the agency told NBC News that the suspect is linked to the past week's shooting of Locke by a SWAT officer in a Minneapolis residence as a result of a no-knock warrant. According to officials, Locke was not identified on the warrant, which the Minneapolis Police Department issued. The homicide investigation in St. Paul was the subject of the warrant.
When cops burst into Locke's residence and discovered him covered in a blanket on the couch, he was fatally shot. According to authorities in Minneapolis, the officer opened fire when he saw a pistol barrel emerge from behind the cover.
Authorities said the homicide suspect was arrested and put into the Ramsey County Juvenile Detention Center on a charge of second-degree murder. In connection with the shooting of Elder, the Ramsey County Attorney's Office filed a petition against the suspect for two charges of second-degree murder on Tuesday, NBC News reported.
As part of their investigation into the shooting on Jan. 10, police conducted a no-knock search warrant on an apartment last week. Locke, a 22-year-old black male who was not involved in the inquiry, occupied the flat. When a SWAT squad arrived at his flat about 7 am, he had his rifle ready. According to body camera evidence, he was shot by an officer on Feb. 2. According to CNN, Locke's relatives confirmed he lawfully possessed the rifle.
Court filings state that the registered resident of the flat was Speed's brother's girlfriend. The flat had been visited by Speed as recently as January 2022, and police had visited it on multiple occasions in the previous. The flat was one of three that investigators raided last week in their search for Speed. During the raid in which Locke was slain, officers discovered marijuana and clothes that they suspect belonged to Speed.
Speed was captured in Winona, Minnesota, which is more than 100 miles distant from Saint Paul, Minnesota, according to police. People protested against the use of no-knock warrants and demanded that Locke be held accountable for his death, as per Washington Examiner.
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Family of Amir Locke Gears up to File Wrongful Death Lawsuit
The killing of Locke, a Black man, enraged his family and activists, who questioned the original police version of the shooting and questioned the initial police story. On Saturday, a gathering in downtown Minneapolis drew hundreds of people, and students from nearby high schools have planned a walkout on Tuesday.
A moratorium on no-knock arrest warrants was announced last week by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, while the city brought in outside experts to investigate its policy, and some state lawmakers plan to advocate for a statewide prohibition.
Locke's family plans to launch a wrongful death lawsuit against the city's police force over the incident.
Ben Crump, a civil rights lawyer representing Locke's family, feels that the Minneapolis Police Department, as well as the city of Minneapolis, are to blame for Locke's murder, according to AP News.
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