Restaurant owner, ex-college athlete among victims of US unrest
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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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