Black Lives Still Matter, Even In Kentucky

Louisville Metro PD backed by the KY National Guard killed the owner of a BBQ joint last night.

Gov. Andy Beshear has ordered Kentucky State Police to investigate the early Monday incident that featured Louisville Metro Police and National Guard personnel fatally shooting the owner of a popular West End barbecue business at 26th Street and Broadway.

The victim was David McAtee, the popular owner of a barbecue business next to the Dino's Food Mart parking lot where the shooting occurred around 12:15 a.m. Monday, McAtee's nephew told The Courier Journal.

Louisville police and National Guard troops were breaking up a "large crowd" that had gathered in the parking lot outside Dino's Food Mart in the Russell neighborhood when someone shot at them, LMPD Chief Steve Conrad said this morning.

"Officers and soldiers began to clear the lot and at some point were shot at," Conrad said. "Both LMPD and National Guard members returned fire."

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

At a Monday morning news conference in Frankfort, Beshear said he has contacted Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and asked LMPD to release the "significant" amount of body camera footage from the incident "as soon as possible."

The governor added that he wants any video footage to be released Monday "before nightfall."

"I think it's really important for the truth to get out there," Beshear said. "But I think it's also really important in ensuring that we don't have violence if people can see (and) know that, bad or ugly, we're being absolutely transparent about it."

"I don't want people to have to wait several days," Beshear added. "I think it's very important to communicate with the public, especially with the tensions right now."

We're entering Week 11 since Breonna Taylor was murdered in her own home by Louisville Metro PD officers and nobody's been charged or arrested for it, but LMPD has rounded up dozens of protesters, fired at journalists on the street covering the protests, and now they've killed a person.

Andy Beshear, to his credit, seems to actually care what's going on with police violence. But he doesn't seem at all interested in actually uttering the words "Black Lives Matter".  Not in this state.

The moment he does, it costs him his career.

We matter.  We die without justice, but we will be heard.