Amir Locke Shooting: MPD reassigns officer who fired fatal shots in 2022 no-knock raid

Amir Locke shooting: Officer reassigned amid backlash

The Minneapolis police officer who fired the shots that killed Amir Locke in 2022 has been reassigned after community backlash. FOX 9's Mary McGuire has more.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot Amir Locke in 2022 will no longer serve in the department's training unit after backlash from local activists. 

Officer Mark Hanneman will now work in the department's wellness unit, where officials say he will support officer health and well-being through peer support programs and wellness resources.

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office declined to charge Officer Hanneman, saying there was "insufficient admissible evidence" to file criminal charges in the case. 

ARCHIVE: Amir Locke shooting

Officer in Amir Locke shooting reassigned

Big picture view:

The Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) said the decision to reassign Sergeant Mark Hanneman came after "conversations between Chief O'Hara, Mayor Jacob Frey, and Public Safety Commissioner Barnette regarding the impact on community trust."

Local civil rights activist Nekima Levy Armstrong sent an open letter to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on July 16, calling the decision to promote Hanneman to a role that involves training other officers "a betrayal of public trust." 

The letter also said, "This is not just poor judgment. It is willful disregard for the life of Amir Locke, for his grieving family, and for every Black Minneapolis resident who continues to live in fear of police violence."

READ MORE: Remembering Amir Locke: 22-year-old Black man shot, killed by Minneapolis police

Chief Brian O'Hara on Officer Hanneman reassignment 

What they're saying:

The following written statement was released by Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara:

"We have been working relentlessly to reform our policing practices while repairing community relationships and trust in our department. We can't afford to have anything distract from that progress. After speaking with Sgt. Hanneman, Mayor Frey, and Commissioner Barnette, we determined that a reassignment was the right decision. This move allows Sgt. Hanneman to continue supporting the department's progress while also acknowledging the importance of maintaining community trust. Sgt. Hanneman's new role in the Wellness Unit will allow him to support the well-being of our officers and contribute to a healthier department.  His willingness to accept this reassignment demonstrates his ongoing commitment to building trust and supporting the culture change underway at MPD."

Amir Locke fatally shot in 2022 no-knock police raid 

The backstory:

READ: FULL REPORTS ON THE FATAL POLICE SHOOTING OF AMIR LOCKE

Amir Locke was not the target of the raid when a SWAT team entered an apartment unit at the Bolero Flats just before 7 a.m. on Feb. 2, 2025. The warrant was in connection with a January homicide in St. Paul.

Locke's cousin, Mekhi Speed, was later sentenced to more than 16 years for that fatal shooting.

According to the Minneapolis Police Department incident report, the SWAT team went to two apartments on the 14th floor before entering the unit on the seventh and "loudly" announcing their presence. Body camera video released after the shooting shows they did not announce themselves until after they entered the apartment.

As police entered the apartment, body camera video shows officers shouted "police, search warrant" as they approached Locke, who was wrapped underneath a blanket on the couch. An officer kicked the couch, and Locke starts coming out from under the blanket while holding a handgun. 

Officer Hanneman fired three shots at Locke, who was still wrapped in a blanket. Locke was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

READ MORE: Ben Crump files lawsuit on behalf of Amir Locke's family

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman and Attorney General Keith Ellison wrote that Locke's actions constituted a "specifically articulable threat."

"Officer Hanneman perceived that Mr. Locke’s movements and production of a firearm presented a threat of death or great bodily harm that was reasonably likely to occur and to which the officers had to respond without delay," the attorneys wrote.

Locke, a 22-year-old Black man whose family members said he had a permit to carry, was not named on the warrant that led to his fatal encounter.