Kentucky officials said state authorities will investigate the police shooting death of a black Louisville restaurant owner during George Floyd protests early Monday, according to news reports.
David McAtee, the owner of Yaya’s BBQ next to the parking lot where he was shot and killed, was part of a “large crowd” that had gathered outside Dino’s Food Mart shortly after midnight, WLKY-TV reported Monday.
Louisville police and National Guard troops said they were fired on while breaking up the group and returned fire, striking McAtee.
“Officers and soldiers began to clear the lot and at some point were shot,” Louisville Metro Police Chief Steve Conrad told USA Today. “Both LMPD and National Guard members returned fire.”
At a press conference later in the day, Gov. Andy Beshear said he was calling on the Kentucky State Police to investigate the shooting.
Beshear said he believes there is a significant amount of video footage — from police body cams and surveillance cameras — for investigators to review.
“My request is let’s put it out,” the governor said during the briefing, aired on WKDZ-Radio. “Let’s put it out. Let’s let people see it because I believe that if the truth shows that there was an act of aggression, of firing upon LMPD and the National Guard, and shows the response if folks believe that that’s justified they will be able to accept the truth.”
“But they’ve got to be able to see the truth,” he said. “That’s the very least that people deserve.”
It’s unclear who fired the shots, or who fired first, or if the group was tied to protests in the city.
“It’s very clear that many people do not trust the police,” Conrad said. “That is an issue we’re going to work on and work through.”
However, hours later, Mayor Greg Fischer said Conrad was relieved of duty “effective immediately” after it was revealed that officers involved in the fatal shooting did not have their body cameras on, KLKY reported.
In addition to outrage over Floyd’s police custody death in Minneapolis on Memorial Day, Louisville residents have been demonstrating over the March death of Breonna Taylor, a black Louisville EMT shot dead in her bed when police executives served a no-knock search warrant at her home.
The man police sought was already in custody at the time.