Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer fired his police chief Monday after learning officers failed to turn on body cameras during the fatal shooting of a black man overnight while enforcing a curfew amid ongoing protests in the city.
Gov. Andy Beshear on Monday demanded the release of police video from Sunday night’s deadly shooting, but apparently there was none.
“This type of institutional failure will not be tolerated,” Fischer said at a news conference, according to reports.
The shooting victim was identified as 53-year-old David McAtee, the owner of a local restaurant who witnesses said may not have had anything to do with the protests.
Louisville Metro Police Department Chief Steve Conrad was terminated after the incident where his officers and accompanying National Guard soldiers reportedly came under fire late Sunday during protests over March’s controversial police killing of Breonna Taylor.
Taylor, 26, an emergency medical technician, was killed when police executed a no-knock search warrant for illegal drugs at her home on March 13. No drugs were found.
In the wake of Taylor’s shooting, Fischer implemented new requirements for police to wear body cameras and also changed the procedure for “no-knock” warrants.
The Kentucky State police will investigate McAtee’s death, which happened on the fourth night of demonstrations in Louisville that have been exacerbated by the outrage over George Floyd’s death.
Reports say Louisville police and the National Guard troops chased protesters toward a parking lot in downtown Louisville late Sunday.
Officers were dispersing a large crowd that had gathered near Yaya’s BBQ Shack, when police said someone fired shots at them.
Media reports say McAtee owned the business next to the parking lot where the shooting occurred. Fischer, who spoke with McAtee’s mother, said last night on social media that he was committed to “getting all the answers out as quickly as possible” about the shooting.
Two officers involved in the shooting have been identified as Katie Crews and Austin Allen, according to a report by CBS affiliate WKYT in Louisville.
Conrad announced nearly two weeks ago that he planned to retire at the end of June due to the Taylor shooting.
He has been police chief since 2012, when Fischer brought him back to Louisville from Arizona to replace previous chief Robert White.
— This is a developing story. Please check back with AJC.com for the latest updates.
