MPD under fire for promoting officer who killed Amir Locke

By Riley Bruce

“Amir Locke Should Be Alive,” read a banner held by community members during a press conference at Minneapolis City Hall on July 22. The gathering, organized by Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB), condemned the Minneapolis Police Department’s decision to appoint Sgt. Mark Hanneman as its new use-of-force training officer.

On Feb. 2, 2022, Hanneman fatally shot 22-year-old Locke during a pre-dawn no-knock raid at Bolero Flats in downtown Minneapolis. Locke, who was not named in the warrant, was awakened on a couch by officers entering with guns drawn. He was shot within seconds of the raid’s start.

Although Hanneman was not criminally charged, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and then-Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman declined to prosecute, and civil litigation by Locke’s family remains pending.

“If Officer Mark Hanneman understood how to properly use force in a situation like Amir Locke’s, Amir would still be alive today,” said attorney and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong during the press conference.

A troubling pattern

Critics argue Hanneman’s appointment represents a larger pattern of officers with violent records being elevated to training roles within law enforcement. “There’s a disturbing history of awarding officers who kill our people,” said Toshira Garraway, founder of Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence.

Garraway listed other officers who were in training roles when they killed civilians:

• Derek Chauvin, an MPD field training officer, murdered George Floyd in 2020.
• Kim Potter, a Brooklyn Center training officer, killed Daunte Wright in 2021.
• Jason Schmidt, another MPD training officer, fatally shot Dolal Idd in 2020.

“These are not isolated cases,” said Garraway. “We must stop promoting the people who have caused the most harm.”

Andre Locke, Amir Locke’s father, called the promotion “disrespectful.”

“You appoint the officer, who took my son’s life, to train others?” he said. “That is absolutely disrespectful.”

Fallout and accountability

Michelle Gross of CUAPB demanded Hanneman’s immediate removal. “He needs to be removed from training, and frankly, he needs to be fired,” she said.

In a statement after the press conference, MPD Chief Brian O’Hara said Hanneman’s training tenure is currently set through August. “What he does next will be based on the needs of the department and our continued goal to build community trust,” O’Hara wrote.

Activists say the appointment does the opposite.

The Minneapolis Police Department is currently operating under a consent decree with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights after a 2023 investigation found a “pattern or practice” of racial discrimination. In that context, critics say Hanneman’s elevation to a leadership role erodes public trust.

Spotlight on Mayor Frey

Much of the frustration was also directed at Mayor Jacob Frey, who holds sole authority over the police department under the city’s “strong mayor” system approved by voters in 2021. Though Hanneman was appointed by then-Interim Chief Amelia Huffman in 2021, activists say the mayor bears ultimate responsibility.

“From the very beginning, Mayor Frey responded to the killing of Amir Locke with chilling casualness,” said Kristen Ingle, co-founder of SouthWest Alliance for Equity. She cited Frey’s 2022 comments, in which he said the city’s no-knock policy lacked “necessary precision or nuance.” That policy, touted as a ban during his re-election campaign, was in place when Locke was killed.

“You cannot kick the can down the road and blame the City Council or anyone else,” Levy Armstrong said. “You alone are responsible for these decisions.”

In an emailed statement, Frey’s office noted that the department’s use-of-force policies are subject to oversight by a court-appointed independent monitor: “No one has to take our word that we are committed to reform on faith alone.”

Political implications

With the 2025 mayoral race underway, activists like Marcia Howard, a community organizer and labor leader, view the mayor’s inaction as politically motivated.

“If I were an elected official watching the wind blow, I’d elevate a killer cop to train other cops,” said Howard. “This is not about safety. This is a political pivot.”

As Minneapolis continues to reckon with its policing systems, community members say Hanneman’s appointment is a step backward — both for justice and for trust.

Editor’s Note: Nearly all of the recommendations from the mayor’s Community Safety Work Group mentioned in this article have been marked as complete. A public dashboard tracking the status of those recommendations is available at: https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/mayor/issues-and-priorities/community-safety/work-group/tracker

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This story was reprinted with permission from the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.