David McAtee biography: 10 things about chef from Louisville, Kentucky

African-American chef David McAtee of Louisville, Kentucky, United States lost his life during the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. But his death was not related to the virus.

McAtee’s death was almost a week after the fatal arrest of African-American security guard George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. The chef was killed while Louisville was dealing with protests against the killing of African-American woman Breonna Taylor, a COVID-19 frontliner shot eight times during a raid on March 13, 2020 involving Louisville Metro Police Department officers Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove.

On the evening of May 31, 2020, people were gathered in the parking lot of the gas station-restaurant Dino’s Food Mart at the 26th Street and West Broadway in West Louisville. Accompanied by the Kentucky National Guard troops, LMPD officers went there to enforce the 9:00 p.m. curfew.

At around 12:15 a.m. on June 1, 2020, the law enforcement officers opened fire on the crowd, which killed McAtee. The cops did not record body-camera footage of the fatal shooting so Louisville mayor Greg Fischer fired LMPD chief Steve Conrad and Robert Schroeder was promoted from assistant chief to acting chief.

Two of the LMDP officers namely Kate Crews and Allen Austin have been confirmed to be involved in the fatal shooting, WLKY reported. They have been put on administrative leave.

Before Conrad was fired, he implied that the law enforcement was responsible for the fatal shooting of McAtee but Schroeder said police do not know who shot the African-American chef. The LMPD officers and the national guardsmen soldiers who accompanied them “were shot at,” WDRB quoted Conrad as saying.

McAtee’s body was still at the scene of the crime in the afternoon of June 1, 2020, USA Today reported. Here are 10 things about the late African-American chef:

1. He is the son of Odessa Riley.
2. He loved to cook and feed people for free. He gave free meals to police officers. He cooked at several community events across the nine neighborhoods in West Louisville and did not charge.
3. He was the owner and operator of the barbecue business YaYa’s BBQ, which is located next to the parking lot of Dino’s Food Mart. The location is one of the busiest locations in West Louisville, a spot he always wanted. He planned to buy the lot where his business is located.
4. He was friends with Louisville Metro Council president David James.
5. From the West End in Louisville, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia, USA, where he lived for two decades.
6. In 2012, he returned to Louisville and lived in The Highlands.
7. In February 2018, he was featured in Walt Smith and Marshae Smith’s photo blog West of Ninth.
8. He had a sister who died on January 22, 2020.
9. His death on June 1, 2020 was mourned by the Louisville mayor.
10. He died at the age of 53.