Body cameras weren't activated when authorities fatally shot Louisville man, mayor says

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Mayor Greg Fischer said Monday afternoon that police officers involved with National Guard personnel in the early morning shooting of the owner of a barbecue business had not activated their body cameras during the incident.

Fischer said Louisville Metro Police Chief Steve Conrad, who announced his resignation in May, has been fired, and a nightly 9 p.m.-to-6:30 a.m. curfew has been extended to June 8.

Gov. Andy Beshear ordered Kentucky State Police to investigate the fatal shooting by police and National Guard personnel.

The man killed was David McAtee, owner of a barbecue business next to the Dino's Food Mart parking lot where the shooting took place, McAtee's nephew told The Louisville Courier Journal of the USA TODAY Network.

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Police and National Guard troops, who have been monitoring protests, were breaking up a "large crowd" in the food mart's parking lot around 12:15 a.m. local time when someone shot at them, Conrad said Monday morning.

They returned fire, killing McAtee. No one else was injured.

Conrad said it is unclear if the deceased was the person who fired at officers.

Police gave few details about the circumstances and didn't indicate whether multiple officers or guardsmen opened fire. They haven't identified the victim.

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McAtee's body was still at the scene of the crime Monday afternoon. A group of LMPD officers in face shields formed a line behind the crime scene tape, facing neighbors and protesters.

Many of the observers said they either knew McAtee or had eaten his barbecue. About 100 people lined the sidewalk across the street from the LMPD line. Many lived in the neighborhood, and some said they'd been at other protests over the weekend.

Monday afternoon, the Rev. Steve Frank, president of the Interdenominational Ministerial Coalition, spoke with McAtee's family across the street from where he was killed.

"(His) mother wants to see her son," Frank told The Courier Journal.

For much of Monday morning, McAtee's body hadn't been moved, Frank said. 

"Right now, we understand he has been removed from outside and he's inside the (nearby) gray building," Frank said.  "It's a forensic investigation. He's the primary evidence in the situation, so it may take a few hours before they get that taken care of."

Louisville Metro Councilwoman Barbara Sexton Smith said state police  were at the scene and that their investigations typically take more time.

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Conrad said police had "several persons of interest" who were interviewed after the shooting.

The shooting outside Dino's Food Mart came after a curfew at 9 p.m. Sunday as protests and unrest over the death of Breonna Taylor continued for the fourth straight night. Taylor, 26, an ER technician was fatally shot in March by Louisville police officers serving a warrant inside her apartment.

Beshear announced Saturday morning that he was sending roughly 350 Kentucky National Guard personnel to Louisville to "ensure the safety of everybody" and "help keep peace."

"We cannot let Breonna’s legacy be marred by violence and we can’t let our streets turn violent," Beshear said.

“I hope everybody knows that this is a big step and a tough step. It’s not one intended to silence any voice because I want to hear," the governor said, "but I want to make sure, at the end of the day, that we are all safe.”

Although protests in downtown Louisville started out peaceful each evening, the scenes  turned chaotic and violent as the sun set. Sunday night had the fewest protesters overall, police said.