LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A federal grand jury indicted former Louisville Metro Police officer Katie Crews with using excessive force for on June 1, 2020 during an incident at a Louisville barbecue restaurant. 

What You Need To Know

  • Katie Crews faces federal excessive force charges for events on June 1, 2020

  • Crews fired pepper balls during an incident at YaYa's BBQ in Louisville

  • Owner David McAtee died from a gunshot wound during the incident

  • If convicted, Crews faces a maximum 10 years in prison

 

According to court documents, Crews is charged with using a pepper ball gun to fire at David McAtee while he was standing at his barbecue restaurant. According to the statement from the Department of Justice, McAtee was not posing a threat to Crews or others.

McAtee was killed at his barbecue business, YaYa’s BBQ at 26th and Broadway. His death came after LMPD and National Guard members were called to the area to break up a large crowd gathering, which was violating a city-mandated curfew. A curfew was in place because of protests related to the death of Breonna Taylor.

The unreasonable force charge against Crews carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Katie Crews is indicted for using excessive force (LMPD)

The FBI and LMPD’s Public Integrity Unity both investigated the case through the Louisville Public Corruption Civil Rights Task Force.

In May, 2021, Jefferson County Commonwealth’s Attorney Thomas Wine announced he would not seek charges against Louisville Metro Police officers or members of the Kentucky National Guard. Wine said both fired their weapons in self-defense.

LMPD Officer Crews fired at least one pepper ball into the street to disperse the crowd. Crews then fired several more pepper ball shots toward YaYa’s. It was then that McAtee and others went into the restaurant for shelter. 

The reports and video from the night of the shooting show that McAtee fired a gun twice from inside the restaurant and that LMPD and National Guard members returned fire. McAtee died from a single gunshot to the chest. A ballistics report found the bullet fragments had green paint, showing the bullet came from a National Guard member, but the fragment was so destroyed there was no way of knowing whose gun fired the fatal shot. 

Civil Rights Trial Attorney Anita Channapati and Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda E. Gregory of the Western District of Kentucky are prosecuting the case. 

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