Ex-officer involved in 2020 protest shooting avoids prisonLOUISVILLE, Ky. — A former Louisville police officer blamed for instigating a deadly shooting during the 2020 protests over the death of Breonna Taylor was sentenced Monday to two years of probation.Katie R. Crews, 30, pleaded guilty last year to one count of using excessive force during a curfew crackdown in 2020 that ended with the fatal shooting of restaurant owner David McAtee. U.S. District Judge Benjamin Beaton called Crews' actions "incredibly dangerous" and doubled a one-year recommended probation period to two years.Beaton said he was reluctant to allow Crews to avoid prison time, but was told that McAtee's family had given their blessing to the recommended sentence."None of us should minimize this," Beaton said during the hourlong hearing Jan. 30. Crews was also ordered to perform 200 hours of community service, and she can no longer work in law enforcement.Also Monday, lawyers for McAtee's family announced the settlement of a wrongful death lawsuit. The suit filed against Louisville Police, two National Guard members and Crews was settled for $725,000, said attorney Steve Romines.The Associated PressSt. Louis to pay $5.2 million after 2017 mass arrestsST. LOUIS — The city of St. Louis will pay nearly $5.2 million to settle claims by people who were arrested during a protest in 2017 over the acquittal of a police officer in the shooting death of a Black man, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.According to a proposed class action settlement filed last week, the city agreed to pay $4.91 million, or about $58,500 per person, to 84 people who were protesting in downtown St. Louis.The lawsuit claimed the protesters' rights were violated when they were caught in a police "kettle" as officers surrounded and arrested everyone in the area. Three people who filed individual lawsuits settled from $85,000 each.They were protesting after former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley was acquitted in the Dec. 20, 2011, shooting death of Anthony Lamar Smith.Protesters said police surrounded more than 120 people who officers said did not follow dispersal orders. Several people claimed police used excessive force and indiscriminate pepper spray, including against bystanders who were not protesting.The city denied any wrongdoing as part of last week's settlement. A city spokesman declined comment.The Associated PressWhite supremacists who attacked Black DJ sentencedSEATTLE — Four white men with white supremacist ties were sentenced in federal court in Seattle for a 2018 assault on a Black DJ at a bar in the suburb of Lynnwood. Judge Richard Jones sentenced the men to varying prison terms, the Daily Herald reported in late January.Jason DeSimas, of Tacoma, will serve four years. Under a plea agreement, prosecutors and the defense recommended just over three years. Jason Stanley, of Boise, Idaho, had the same plea deal. Jones sentenced him to four years, as well.Randy Smith, of Eugene, Oregon, got 3½ years in prison. And Daniel Dorson, of Corvallis Oregon, got 2⅓ years.All four were previously convicted of committing a hate crime and making false statements. The man they attacked, Tyrone Smith, said outside the courthouse that his life is forever changed.The judge also ordered the defendants to pay nearly $171,000 in restitution to cover lost wages and medical bills. He called the attack that of a "modern day unhooded KKK."Smith said the defendants' actions changed him from an outgoing person who DJ'ed for his friends for fun, to someone who struggles with anxiety and uses a cane.On Dec. 7, 2018, DeSimas and others traveled to Lynnwood on the way to visiting the site of a Whidbey Island cabin where Robert Jay Mathews, the neo-Nazi leader of the violent hate group The Order, died in a gunfight with federal agents on Dec. 8, 1984. It has become a far-right holiday, known as Martyr's Day."As we can all see, it's been a long road for me," Smith said. "But I had enough courage to come down and make sure this process was handled and justice was actually served."On Dec. 7, 2018, DeSimas and others traveled to Lynnwood on the way to visiting the site of a Whidbey Island cabin where Robert Jay Mathews, the neo-Nazi leader of the violent hate group The Order, died in a gunfight with federal agents on Dec. 8, 1984. It has become a far-right holiday, known as Martyr's Day.That night, DeSimas attended a gathering with other white supremacist sympathizers, prosecutors said. Shortly after midnight, about a dozen of them went to the Rec Room Bar and Grill. Some wore jackets with patches indicating their white supremacist beliefs and some had similar tattoos, including some depicting swastikas, prosecutors said.At some point, Stanley messed with Smith's DJ equipment. Smith pushed him away. In response, DeSimas and others surrounded Smith, using racist slurs while kicking, punching and stomping on Smith, prosecutors said. Witnesses who tried to intervene were also attacked.The men then left the bar and went to Whidbey Island, where they attended the Martyr's Day event.Federal prosecutors indicted the men in December 2020. Citing insufficient evidence, Snohomish County prosecutors declined to charge six other men who were at the tavern the night of the attack.DeSimas wrote in a letter to the judge that he was "ashamed" of his actions, saying he no longer shared the views he previously held.Dorson wrote in a similar letter that he was "disgusted by the fear I took part in creating."Nick Brown, the U.S. Attorney for Western Washington, said seeking consequences for the attack was a high priority for the Justice Department and the FBI.Rick Collodi, the FBI's special agent in charge of Seattle's field office, said the defendants tried to conceal their actions, but the truth came out."The four defendants admitted to being members of a white supremacist group," Collodi said. "While they have the right to believe what they want, they do not have the right to commit a crime."

LOUISVILLE, KY., (WDRB) -- A federal judge "reluctantly" agreed Monday on a sentence of no prison time for a former Louisville Metro Police officer convicted of using excessive force during the Breonna Taylor protests.But U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Beaton issued a stiffer sentence than what prosecutors had recommended for Katie Crews, calling her actions "extremely dangerous." Crews, who pleaded guilty to using excessive force the night David McAtee was killed in 2020, was sentenced Monday to two years of probation, 200 hours of community service and a $5,000 fine.Crews was initially charged with a felony and was facing up to 10 years in prison for shooting pepper balls at McAtee's niece, Machelle McAtee, on June 1, 2020, striking her once in the shoulder, as the woman was standing on private property and not a threat to officers.Prosecutors agreed to reduce the charge to a misdemeanor, carrying a maximum sentence of one year behind bars. Both sides recommended a sentence of one year of probation. U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Beaton said "it was an extremely difficult case" and "the level of danger was extreme," but "the best of our bad options is to reluctantly approve" the probation deal.Beaton, however, doubled the amount of time on probation and community service and added the fine.Crews did not speak during her sentencing. Attorneys for McAtee’s family have said, "Ms. Crews accepted responsibility for her role in this and the family feels that sending her to prison would only make it worse when it is the LMPD as a whole that inadequately trained her and sent her there that night that deserves the lion's share of blame."The incident and subsequent death of McAtee, killed by a Kentucky National Guard soldier, occurred after Louisville police and guard members arrived at Dino’s Food Mart at 26th Street and Broadway in the Russell neighborhood to disperse a crowd in violation of the then-citywide curfew in response to protests over the death of Breonna Taylor.Crews told investigators she shot at Machelle McAtee because she "didn't comply" with orders. Machelle McAtee was standing in the doorway of a private business.Video shows that as Machelle McAtee is pulled inside by David McAtee, he leans out the door and fires a bullet. When he reaches out and fires again seconds later, Crews, LMPD Officer Allen Austin and two members of the National Guard returned fire, 18 shots in total.An unidentified guardsman fired the only bullet that struck and killed McAtee, 53. He was shot once in the chest.Federal prosecutors argued, in part, Crews was fairly new on the force and “clearly could not have foreseen the tragic outcome of her actions in this case,” according to a sentencing memorandum. Said defense attorney Steve Schroering, in court records: "The force was excessive and inconsistent with training. But Crews’ actions carried no evil or malicious intent. Her intent was to enforce the mayor’s curfew as she understood it ....  In her short time as an officer neither Crews nor her supervisors had been asked or expected to enforce a curfew. She had never been issued or handled a pepperball launcher while on duty. The actual hands-on training with the tool was minimal."And while a pepper ball gun is considered a dangerous weapon under sentencing guidelines, prosecutors wrote that many officers perceive them as “minimal force” and similar to paintball guns.“In using a weapon that most LMPD officers equate with a 'paintball gun,' Defendant Crews likely did not foresee the likelihood of injury," prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney's office wrote in the sentencing recommendation.Under terms of the sentence, Crews is not allowed to seek a job in law enforcement again.Crews was also likely acting on high emotions from previous days of city-wide protests revolving around the Breonna Taylor slaying on March 13, 2020, according to the prosecution.While working downtown on May 28, Crews was “accosted by a female protestor,” according to the filing. A picture of this encounter was published in The Courier-Journal, and Crews, prosecutors said, posted a comment on Facebook that “expresses delight at the prospect of a pepperball gun being used to cause pain to this particular prosecutor.”The picture appears to show a female protester handing Crews a flower, but Crews wrote that the woman "was saying and doing a lot more than 'offering flowers' to me."P.S. I hope the pepper balls that she got lit up with a little hurt," she wrote on Facebook. "Come back and get you some tonight ole girl, I'll be on the line again tonight."The prosecution argued that Crews’ actions “were likely motivated, at least in part, by these emotions. However, (the prosecution) did not identify any uses of excessive force by Defendant Crews predating the incident.”And since the incident, Crews has maintained employment and is a contributing member to society, according to the sentencing recommendation. She works as a K-9 handler, though not with law enforcement, according to the sentencing filing.“Given the circumstances, a sentence of probation is sufficient to protect the public from further crimes of the defendant," the U.S. Attorney's office concluded.Copyright 2023 Media. All Rights Reserved.

Loading the player... A former Louisville Metro Police Officer received two years of probation instead of a prison sentence in a case connected to the 2020 killing of a beloved Black barbecue chef. Katie Crews, [...]

Former Louisville Metro Police Department officer Katie Crews was sentenced to two years of probation Monday for her actions leading up to the death of local restaurant owner David “YaYa” McAtee in June 2020.Crews pleaded guilty last year to misdemeanor excessive use of force after prosecutors alleged she used a pepper ball gun against McAtee’s niece, Machelle McAtee, who was on private property and posed no threat. In exchange for avoiding jail time, Crews also agreed to give up her law enforcement certification and to never pursue a job in policing again.At the hearing inside Louisville’s downtown federal courthouse, District Court Judge Benjamin Beaton struggled with whether to accept the proposed plea agreement, calling the case “incredibly difficult.”“We’ve had a lot of cases from 2020 come through this courtroom and we’ve remarked how fortunate things went for the city and residents. It could have been much worse. Things did go quite badly in this instance,” Beaton said, referring to McAtee’s death and its impact on his friends and family.Early on June 1, 2020, Crews and several other officers and National Guard members arrived at 26th and Broadway to break up a social gathering. It was the first weekend of protests responding to the police killing of Breonna Taylor and a city-wide curfew was in place.The party in the parking lot of YaYa’s BBQ that law enforcement interrupted was peaceful and blocks away from any protests. Crews fired pepper balls at Machelle anyway, in an attempt to break up the crowd.When Machelle ran into her uncle’s restaurant, David McAtee stepped out of the front door and fired two shots. LMPD officers and Kentucky National Guard members returned fire. A state investigation concluded that the fatal bullet was shot by a guard member.McAtee was a well-liked food vendor in Louisville’s Russell neighborhood and was known for giving away free food, including to police officers.Beaton asked federal prosecutors and Crews’ defense attorney, Steve Schroering, to make their “best arguments” for why Crews should avoid jail time. The sentencing report from the U.S. Probation Office recommended Crews serve one year in jail, the maximum sentence for the misdemeanor charge.Prosecutors and Schroering argued Crews had not been the subject of any disciplinary action during the two years she was a patrol officer for LMPD or during her time with the Kentucky National Guard between 2011 and 2022. Crews was fired from LMPD last February.Schoering said body camera footage collected from the night of McAtee’s death showed she was “courteous and professional.”“In all of that body camera footage, there’s not one instance in which Katie acts in a malicious way,” he said.Schoering added that LMPD officers were asked to work exhaustingly long shifts during the 2020 racial justice protests, which he called “unexpected and unprecedented.”Beaton returned, however, to a Facebook post and text messages collected from Crews’ phone.Prior to the raid at YaYa’s BBQ, Crews mocked a protester in a Facebook post, writing, "I hope the pepper balls that she got lit up with a little later on hurt. Come back and get ya some more ole girl, I’ll be on the line again tonight.”Beaton and prosecutors read text messages aloud during the hearing, which Beaton said provided insight into Crews’ state of mind while working the protests.In an exchange with her wife regarding a protest outside of the Louisville jail, Crews wrote: “Lighting them up with pepper balls lol.” In another text message, Crews said officers were “chomping at the bit, just waiting to get our hands on people.”Ultimately, Beaton decided to approve the plea agreement, but he doubled the length of Crews’ probation and community service hours. Along with two years of probation, Crews is required to serve 200 hours of community service and pay a fine of $5,000.Steve Romines, one of the attorneys representing the McAtee family, provided a statement Monday agreeing with the sentence.“Crews accepted responsibility for her role in this and the family feels that sending her to prison would only make it worse when it is the LMPD as a whole that inadequately trained her and sent her there that night that deserves the lion’s share of the blame,” he said.Romines also said a wrongful death lawsuit brought by McAtee’s mother against Louisville Metro and the Kentucky National Guard was settled for $750,000. A jury trial in the civil case had been scheduled to start in April.