Dwayne Simmons makes a memorial to David McAtee near the intersection of 26th and Broadway, Tuesday, June 2, 2020, in Louisville, Ky. McAtee, the owner of a barbecue spot who was known for offering meals to police officers, died while police and National Guard soldiers were enforcing a curfew early Monday amid waves of protests over a previous police shooting. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
By LISA MARIE PANE, Associated Press
One man was the beloved owner of a Louisville barbecue restaurant who provided free meals to officers. Another was a man known as “Mr. Indianapolis,” a former star football player. Yet another was a federal officer working security during a protest.
They are among those killed as protests have roiled American cities in the week since the death of George Floyd, a black man who pleaded for air as a white Minneapolis officer jammed a knee into his neck.
The deaths have at times been overshadowed by the shocking images of unrest, from heavy-handed police tactics to violence, vandalism and arson. Tens of thousands have marched peacefully in demonstrations against police brutality and racism.
Many of the people killed were African Americans, compounding the tragedy for black communities.
Dozens of others have been injured in the chaos, with police officers getting shot and protesters struck with rubber bullets.
The death toll and circumstances of the killings are still being sorted out in many cities, but here is what we know so far:
LOUISVILLE
As police and the National Guard troops sought to clear a crowd Monday, they heard gunshots and returned fire, killing David McAtee, the owner of a barbecue restaurant.
The mayor fired the police chief after finding out officers did not turn on their body-worn cameras. State police and the U.S. attorney also are investigating.
McAtee was a 53-year-old African American man known for offering free meals to officers who stopped by his restaurant.
“We lost a wonderful citizen named David McAtee,” Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said. “David was a friend to many, a well-known barbecue man.”
Acting police Chief Robert Schroeder said Tuesday that video from security cameras at McAtee’s business and an adjoining store showed McAtee firing a gun as officers approached.
“This video does not provide all the answers. But we are releasing it to provide transparency. It does not answer every question, including why did he fire and where were police at the time he fired,” Schroeder said.
The protests in Louisville have centered not just on Floyd’s killing but also the death of Breonna Taylor, a black woman killed in her home in Louisville in March. The 26-year-old EMT was shot eight times by narcotics detectives who knocked down her front door as they tried to serve a search warrant. No drugs were found.
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
A federal law enforcement officer was providing security at a federal courthouse during a protest when someone fired shots from a vehicle. Dave Patrick Underwood, 53, died and another officer was critically wounded.
It was not immediately clear if the drive-by shooting was related to the protests, though the federal building’s glass doors were smashed and the front entrance was sprayed with anti-police graffiti.
Underwood, who was black, and the other officer were contracted security officers employed by the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service. They were monitoring a nearby protest.
People work outside of a United States Courthouse at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building after protests over the Memorial Day death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man in police custody in Minneapolis, in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, May 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
No one has been arrested, and a motive for the shooting has not yet been determined.
Underwood was the brother of Angela Underwood Jacobs, recently a Republican candidate to fill a vacant U.S. congressional seat north of Los Angeles.
INDIANAPOLIS
Two people were killed this past weekend amid unrest, including 38-year-old Chris Beaty, a former offensive lineman for Indiana University.
Beaty was known as “Mr. Indianapolis” and remained involved with the Hoosiers long after graduating. He also was a prominent businessman in the city, running multiple nightclubs.
“I am at a loss for words. The news of the passing of Chris Beaty is just devastating,” coach Tom Allen said in a statement. “Since I returned home to coach at Indiana, Chris embraced me, encouraged me and supported me! His passion for life and Indiana Football energized me every time we were together.”
The circumstances of his shooting weren’t immediately clear, but some media reports said it happened near his apartment. This death occurred the same night an 18-year-old man was fatally shot as protests erupted in the city.
DAVENPORT, IOWA
Police are investigating the deaths of 22-year-old Italia Kelly, who was shot Monday while leaving a protest outside a Walmart, and of a man found near where suspects exchanged gunfire with police in the city of 100,000 people across the Mississippi River from Illinois.
Italia Marie Kelly, 22, of Davenport, Iowa, is shown in an undated photo distributed by her family. (AP Photo via Kelly family)
The circumstances of Kelly’s death are murky, and no arrests have been made. Kelly and a friend were getting in a vehicle to leave because the protest had turned unruly when she was struck in the back by a bullet, said her aunt, Amy Hale of Atchison, Kansas.
“She was always smiling, always laughing. That’s why it’s so sad that she was taken in such a violent way,” Hale said. “That is not Italia. She was the bright, bubbly big personality in the room.”
Separately, authorities said an officer patrolling Sunday was “ambushed” with gunfire. Another officer shot back, and the suspects fled. Their vehicle crashed, and they were arrested.
Near where the officer was shot, police found a man dead from a gunshot next to a vehicle. Police say they found a handgun underneath his body. His identity has not been released.
Police said surveillance video shows that the man and some of the arrested suspects were involved in a shooting outside a jewelry store hours earlier. They were casing the business when other cars arrived and multiple people fired shots at each other and fled, police said.
MINNEAPOLIS
In what is believed to be the first killing since the protests broke out, Calvin L. Horton Jr. was fatally shot outside a pawn shop last week.
The owner of the pawn shop, who is white, was arrested in the death of Horton, a 43-year-old black man. Police say they are investigating the circumstances of the killing, including whether it was related to protests in the neighborhood.
The shop was described as having been significantly damaged during the unrest.
OMAHA, NEBRASKA
James Scurlock, a 22-year-old black man, was killed Saturday after authorities said he tussled with the owner of two downtown bars. Surveillance video of the strip of bars shows a group of people, including Scurlock, approach white bar owner Jake Gardner.
Graffiti in downtown Omaha on Sunday, May 31, 2020. Police and protesters clashed for a second night in Omaha.
(AP PHOTO/OMAHA WORLD-HERALD, Anna Reed)
Two people shove Gardner to the ground, and he fired shots in the air. Seconds later, Scurlock is seen jumping on Gardner, who then fires the gun over his shoulder, striking Scurlock.
Authorities have declined to press charges in the death, calling the shooting self-defense. But Gardner could still face misdemeanor gun charges because his concealed carry permit for the gun had expired, the police chief said.
DETROIT
A 21-year-old man was killed in downtown Detroit after someone fired shots into a vehicle during a protest. According to a police report, the man was sitting in the driver’s seat of a car in a parking lot with two others when someone opened fire and then ran away.
SUBURBAN CHICAGO
Two people were killed during unrest Monday in the suburb of Cicero, according to a town official. Spokesman Ray Hanania did not provide details about those who were killed but said it happened during protests.
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Associated Press journalists Herbert McCann contributed from Chicago and Ryan J. Foley from Iowa City, Iowa.
