Locke’s Cousin charged in homicide that prompted no-knock warrant leading to his own death by officer

A 17-year-old boy, Mekhi C. Speed has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the shooting on January 10 which resulted in the killing “of a 38-year-old man – the underlying case behind a no-knock warrant and predawn Minneapolis police raid last week that killed 22-year-old Amir Locke” reports the Star Tribune.

The teen, Locke’s cousin, had access to the apartment that police raided where a police officer shot Locke, according to the charges. Prosecutors filed a juvenile petition charging Speed with two counts of second-degree murder, and are seeking to certify him to be tried as an adult.

Speed was living in a different apartment unit in the same Apartment Complex of Bolero Flats Apartment Homes that Locke was living in, where he was shot by an officer after police barged down the door and shot Locke as he held a gun.

38-year-old Otis Elder was shot outside a music recording studio and died at the hospital. According to the charges against Speed, someone who was on the phone with Elder told police that just before he was shot it sounded like he was conducting a drug transaction and then the phone abruptly ended.

According to the Tribune:

As their investigation progressed last week, St. Paul police filed standard applications for search warrant affidavits for three Bolero Flats apartments. But detectives were forced to resubmit the requests after Minneapolis police insisted on a no-knock entry.

MPD would not have agreed to execute the search in its jurisdiction otherwise, according to a law enforcement source who spoke on the condition of anonymity. St. Paul police rarely execute no-knock warrants because they are considered high-risk. The capital city police force has not served such a warrant since 2016, said department spokesman Steve Linders.

Locke was not the target of the murder investigation but was sleeping in the apartment of relatives when members of a Minneapolis police SWAT team burst in during early morning hours.

The case has garnered lots of national attention, particularly after the “footage from one of the officers’ body cameras showed police quietly unlocking the apartment door with a key before barging inside, yelling ‘Search warrant!’ as Locke lay under a blanket on the couch. An officer kicked the couch, Locke stirred, holding a firearm in his right hand. He was shot by officer Mark Hanneman within seconds” reports the Tribune,

Speed’s brother and the brother’s girlfriend were also in the apartment when Locke was shot. Officers have seized clothing that police believe Speed was wearing when he shot Elder along with the gun belonging to Locke and marijuana.