Amir Locke's parents blamed the no-knock warrant signed by a judge for his death, saying their son 'wasn't murdered — he was executed'

• Amir Locke's parents blamed the no-knock warrant signed by a judge for his death.
• His parents said in an interview with CNN that their son "wasn't murdered — he was executed."

The parents of Amir Locke, a Black man who was killed by a Minneapolis Police officer during a no-knock raid earlier this month, said they blamed the warrant signed by a judge for his death.

"The no-knock warrant is what caused Amir's death," his father, Andre Locke, said during a Tuesday interview with CNN.

Karen Wells, Amir Locke's mother, told CNN she blamed "the whole system" for her son's death, adding: "He wasn't killed, he wasn't murdered — he was executed."

"As professional people that carry guns and are supposed to protect and serve a community, [the police] didn't protect my son that day," Wells told CNN. "They chose not to do that. And they took him from me, and I am angry."

A Minneapolis Police officer fatally shot Locke during the early hours of February 2 while police were serving a no-knock warrant.

Sources told WCCO and KARE 11 that Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill — who presided over the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin, — signed the no-knock warrant.

The warrants, which have come under immense scrutiny in recent years, are intended to try and surprise a suspect and minimize the chance of a potential armed struggle.

Multiple cities have banned the use of no-knock warrants, and Minneapolis restricted their use in 2020.

Following Amir Locke's death, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey temporarily banned no-knock warrants in the city, KARE 11 reported.

"Nothing that they can do can bring our son back," Andre Locke told CNN.