David McAtee was killed by a National Guard member in Louisville during a shootout with authorities, investigators say

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David McAtee was killed by a National Guard member in Louisville during a shootout with authorities, investigators say
Protesters and police stand off as tear gas is deployed in the streets of Lousiville, Kentucky on May 30, 2020.Brett Carlsen/Getty Images
  • David McAtee, 53, the owner of a popular BBQ joint, was shot and killed following police brutality protests in Louisville, Kentucky, on June 1.
  • Police Chief Steve Conrad said he was killed after a group shot at police officers and National Guard members, and law enforcement returned fire.
  • Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer fired Conrad after learning that none of the officers involved had turned on their body-worn cameras.
  • Kentucky's Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Secretary J. Michael Brown said on June 9 that a National Guard officer shot McAtee based on the bullet fragments.
  • It's unclear if McAtee had participated in protests that took place near his restaurant.
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A man was shot and killed by law enforcement following police brutality protests in Louisville, Kentucky, on June 1.

The victim has been identified as David McAtee, the owner of YaYa's BBQ, a popular restaurant where he offered free meals to local police officers, his mother, Odessa Riley, told the Courier Journal.

"My son was a good son," she told the Journal. "All he did on that barbecue corner is try to make a dollar for himself and his family, and they come along and they killed my son."

Louisville Police Chief Steve Conrad said that the incident happened just after midnight when police officers and National Guardsmen were shot at while trying to clear an area of people protesting the recent death of Breonna Taylor.

Police and soldiers returned fire, and McAtee was killed. Conrad said several persons of interest are being questioned in connection to the death.

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Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer swiftly fired Conrad after discovering that none of the officers involved switched on their body-worn cameras, the Journal reported.

"This type of institutional failure will not be tolerated," he said.

David McAtee was killed by a National Guard member in Louisville during a shootout with authorities, investigators say
Policemen and a protester at a rally over the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, Saturday, May 30, 2020, in Louisville, Kentucky.Darron Cummings/AP Photo

WLKY reporter Stephon Dingle tweeted that McAtee's restaurant was at the intersection where the shooting happened. A bystander told Dingle that the people who had gathered at the intersection were not protesters, but just out ignoring curfew.

It's unclear if McAtee had participated in protests that took place near his restaurant.

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McAtee was killed by a National Guard member

An investigation into his death has revealed that McAtee was shot once in the chest and died at his restaurant, according to Wave3.

Kentucky's Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Secretary J. Michael Brown said at a press conference on June 9 that based on bullet fragments, there was "no doubt" that the deadly shot was fired by a National Guard member.

"This is the ammunition that our military carries overseas and in fact that the national guard was carrying that night," Brown said.

According to CBS-affiliate WLKY, the National Guard members who fired shots that night have been removed from active duty.

Brown said that gunshot residue was discovered on McAtee and that his handgun had been fired at least twice on the night of the shooting, based on shell casings recovered from the crime scene as well as video footage.

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Brown said video suggested that Louisville Metro Police fired tear gas in the area where McAtee was located, though he believed that McAtee fired the first live round in response.

Brown said the National Guard then shot back, "which is part of the engagement and what any law enforcement would do in that case."

Rhea Mahbubani contributed to this report.

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