One of the Louisville police officers who fired her weapon during a fatal shooting as protestors demonstrated in the streets early Monday morning is being investigated after she published a questionable post on her Facebook page.
Louisville Metro Police Department Officer Katie Crews, along with Officer Austin Green and two unknown Kentucky National Guardsmen, responded by firing their weapons after being fired upon, killing Yaya’s BBQ Shack owner, 53-year-old David McAtee, near the intersection of 26th Street and Broadway at about 12:15 Monday morning.
Crews is accused of previously posting a Courier-Journal photo of a protester offering her a flower and writing that the protester was “doing a lot more than ‘offering flowers’ to me,” according to screenshots of the post that circulated on social media, the Herald-Leader reported.
“P.S I hope the pepper balls that she got lit up with a little later on hurt,” Crews allegedly wrote. “. . . Come back and get ya some more ole girl, I’ll be back on the line again tonight.”
The police department is aware of the post and interim Louisville Police Chief Robert Schroeder has initiated a “Professional Standards Unit investigation,” according to LMPD spokesperson Lamont Washington.
Police: Video show McAtee shooting first
Louisville police released surveillance video of the shooting on Tuesday. The video, with no sound, appears to show McAtee firing a weapon prior to him being shot.
Police do not know who McAtee was shooting at, why he shot or how close officers were to him when he shot, as the investigation is ongoing and being led by Kentucky State Police and the FBI.
The surveillance video was taken from inside McAtee’s business as well as from a nearby business.
Then-Louisville Police Chief Steve Conrad was fired Monday after authorities discovered Crews and Austin did not have their body cams activated during the shooting, breaking with department protocol.
The two national guard members who fired their weapons have also been removed from duty by Gov. Andy Beshear.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
