Louisville, Kentucky Mayor Greg Fischer announced Monday afternoon that Louisville Metropolitan Police Chief Steve Conrad had been fired and that body cameras were not activated when David McAtee was killed.
“That lack of institutional failure will not be tolerated,” said Fischer during the announcement, according to WYMT. Conrad had already announced his resignation in May but was let go early, according to the Courier Journal.
David McAtee was shot and killed by LMPD officers and the National Guard this morning. Family and witnesses say law enforcement should have never been there. McAtee was serving food at his bbq spot at the time.
His family is praying in front of #lmpd officers #louisville pic.twitter.com/tQ4r2ViCUp
— Phylicia Ashley (@pashleywave3) June 1, 2020
“I’m not asking people to trust our account, and I want to see it myself,” said Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear to the media on Monday, according to WYMT. Beshear is demanding the release of body camera footage “before nightfall” despite Fischer’s statement that no body camera footage from officers exists. (RELATED: REPORT: One Man Killed After National Guard, Louisville Police Return Fire On Crowd)
Fischer has also now extended the nightly curfew of 9 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. in Louisville until June 8th, according to USA Today
McAtee was a local business owner who was allegedly holding a community gathering when police arrived to disperse the crowd. Police reportedly opened fire after someone from the crowd began shooting.
Monday is the fourth day of protests and riots in Louisville following the death of George Floyd and, separately, of Breonna Taylor.
Taylor was killed March 13 in her own home while police were serving a “no-knock” search warrant. She was a 26-year-old EMT who was working to help coronavirus victims.
Floyd was arrested May 25 by police officers for alleged forgery. A bystander’s video shows an officer pinning Floyd to the ground and putting his knee on Floyd’s neck.