LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — 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. In court Monday, U.S. District Judge Benjamin Beaton called Crews' actions “incredibly dangerous” and doubled a one-year recommended probation period to two years. Crews was also ordered to perform 200 hours of community service, and she can no longer work in law enforcement.

LOUISVILLE, 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.In court Monday, U.S. District Judge Benjamin Beaton called Crews' actions “incredibly dangerous” and doubled a one-year recommended probation period to two years. Crews was also ordered to perform 200 hours of community service, and she can no longer work in law enforcement.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.McAtee’s death further angered protesters who had began massing in Louisville’s downtown streets in May 2020 over the death of Taylor, a Black medical tech killed by police who entered her apartment using a falsified drug warrant.Crews fired pepper balls at a crowd near McAtee's restaurant and into his kitchen, where his niece was struck in the shoulder. McAtee returned fire with a handgun, and was fatally shot by a National Guard member who had been deployed to Louisville to help enforce curfews.Former Louisville Metro Police Chief Erika Shields said the firing of the pepper balls by Crews “really jump-started the chaos that ensued.”Crews was fired last year for for escalating the conflict the night of McAtee’s death and for a separate incident in which she taunted a protester on social media a couple of days earlier.The former officer had been photographed by media with a protester who appeared to offer her a flower. Crews posted the photo on social media and wrote that she hoped “the pepper balls that (the protester) 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,” Crews wrote.Crews' attorney, Steve Schroering, said in court Monday that the woman in the photo was cursing and berating the officers that night, including Crews, according to reviews of body camera footage. Schroering said the officers were under extreme pressure during the protests and that Crews' social media post was “a reaction to something that was put out to the public that was not true.”On the night of McAtee’s death, Crews was part of a group of Louisville officers and National Guard members sent to an area near his eatery, YaYa’s BBQ, to break up a crowd.Crews approached the kitchen of the restaurant while firing nonlethal pepper balls, which release a chemical agent. The shots from Crews prompted bystanders to rush into McAtee’s kitchen, and Crews kept firing in that direction. McAtee’s niece, standing in the doorway of the kitchen, was hit in the shoulder by one of Crews’ nonlethal rounds.After his niece was hit, McAtee pulled a pistol from his hip and fired a shot out the door. Crews and other officers then switched to live rounds and McAtee, leaning out his kitchen door, was fatally shot in the chest. Family members said in a lawsuit against Crews that McAtee didn't know that nonlethal rounds were being fired into the restaurant.Prosecutors later cleared Louisville officers and two National Guard members in a criminal probe into McAtee’s death, saying they were justified in using deadly force because McAtee fired at them.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Former Louisville police officer Katie Crews was sentenced Monday for violating an individual’s rights by using excessive force, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.  What You Need To Know Crews pleaded guilty to firing a pepper ball at the niece of a local restaurant owner She's been sentenced to two years of probation, 200 hours of community service and a $5,000 fine She had initially been charged with a felony and faced up to 10 years in prison On June 1, 2020, Crews — who was employed with the Louisville Metro Police Department at the time — responded to the area of YaYa’s BBQ at 26th and Broadway along with other officers and the National Guard to break up a gathering that was violating a city-mandated curfew in wake of Breonna Taylor protests. Court documents said she used a pepper ball gun, striking Machelle McAtee, David McAtee‘s niece. David McAtee owned the restaurant and died from a single gunshot to the chest. A ballistics report found the bullet fragments had green paint, showing the bullet came from a National Guard member, but the fragment was so destroyed there was no way of knowing whose gun fired the fatal shot. Former officer Katie Crews. (LMPD) Crews admitted to her actions during a plea hearing in Oct. 2022 and pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count for using unreasonable force. She’s been sentenced to two years of probation, 200 hours of community service and a $5,000 fine. She is no longer part of the Louisville Metro Police Department as part of her plea deal, and she has also forfeited her Kentucky law enforcement certification. “This former Louisville police officer abused her authority as a law enforcement officer and violated the victim’s civil rights,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in a statement. “This sentence makes clear that law enforcement officials are not above the law. The Justice Department will continue to prosecute law enforcement officials who violate our federal civil rights laws and defy the public trust by using excessive force.” Crews was originally charged with a felony and faced as many as 10 years in prison.  The FBI and the Louisville Metro Police Department’s Public Integrity Unit investigated the case through the Louisville Public Corruption Civil Rights Task Force. Related Stories

More than two and a half years after Louisville barbecue stand owner David McAtee was killed by law enforcement officers during the first nights of the 2020 protests, a wrongful death lawsuit his family filed in the aftermath of the shooting has been settled.Steve Romines, an attorney for McAtee's family, told The Courier Journal on Monday that the case had been settled for $725,000. The two sides came to an agreement last week, he said."The family wanted the case over," the attorney said. "… They had no desire to litigate the case for another several years."The lawsuit was initially filed the lawsuit against Louisville Metro Police, the Kentucky National Guard and two LMPD officers in September 2020 on behalf of Odessa Riley, McAtee's mother, and Machelle McAtee, his niece. The plaintiffs said overuse of force and mistakes made by officers and National Guard members on the scene the night of the shooting were in violation of several department policies and ultimately led to McAtee's death.Background:Minute by minute: What happened the night David McAtee was killedFor Courier Journal subscribers:Rapid bus routes & light rail: Will TARC's plans for the future mean a new Louisville tax?McAtee was killed in the early morning hours of June 1, 2020, after protests over the police killing of Breonna Taylor had taken place throughout the day around Louisville. LMPD officers and soldiers with the National Guard, which had been dispatched in the city that day on orders from Gov. Andy Beshear, were sent to the site to break up a small crowd that had gathered after curfew at Dino's Food Mart, a business at Broadway and 26th Street where McAtee operated a small barbecue stand.Katie Crews, an LMPD officer at the time, fired several pepper balls at a group of people in the crowd, including Machelle McAtee, who was hit. David McAtee fired back with a 9 mm handgun and was subsequently shot and killed, with two LMPD officers and two National Guard members firing at him. Then-LMPD Chief Steve Conrad was fired following the shooting after it was determined none of the officers were wearing body cameras at the time.Crews was later charged with unreasonable force for her role in the shooting and was fired in February 2022 after being placed on administrative leave immediately after the shooting. She was sentenced to two years of probation, 200 hours of community service and a $5,000 fine on Monday by U.S. District Judge Benjamin Beaton and has also agreed to surrender her law enforcement certifications.More headlines:This Kentucky restaurant ranks on Yelp's list of top 100 eateries for 2023Reach Lucas Aulbach at [email protected].

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - The former Louisville Metro Police officer who fired pepper balls to disperse crowds leading to the death of a west Louisville restaurant owner will not face prison time.On Monday, a judge said Katie Crews would serve probation time for her charge of deprivation of rights under color of law which she pleaded guilty to in October.She will serve two years of probation, 200 hours of community service and a $5,000 fine, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.“As in this case, our office will work diligently with our federal and local law enforcement partners to ensure the citizens of the Western District are protected from the use of excessive force by officers sworn to protect them,” U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett for the Western District of Kentucky said in a release.Prosecutors previously argued Crews’ actions were excessive the night of David “YaYa” McAtee’s death in June 2020, but was done with a “legitimate law enforcement purpose.”Court documents said Crews and other officers were given orders to disperse crowds who had gathered during summer protests following the death of Breonna Taylor. > >FULL COVERAGE: The Breonna Taylor CaseMcAtee’s niece, Machelle McAtee, had refused to get back inside the restaurant during an enacted curfew, leading to verbal arguments and eventual pepper balls being fired.David McAtee pulled Machelle out of the doorway, and documents stated he took a gun and fired several shots outside the door.Crews, along with another LMPD officer and two National Guard soldiers returned fire. McAtee was hit by one of the National Guard soldier’s bullets, which led to his death.A federal investigation into Crews was started by the FBI once she was cleared of all state charges.Copyright 2023 WAVE. All rights reserved.

Katie Crews previously pleaded guilty to using excessive force, admitting to shooting McAtee's niece with pepper balls the night he was killed. LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A former Louisville Metro Police officer who pleaded guilty to using excessive force during the Breonna Taylor protests won't see any jail time.  Katie Crews, 29, was federally charged due to her part in escalating a conflict the night restaurant owner David McAtee was shot and killed. In court Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Beaton said he "reluctantly" agreed to a probation sentence for Crews' misdemeanor charge. He called probation "the best of our bad options."  Prosecutors had suggested a sentence of one year probation and 100 hours of community service.  Beaton instead issued a harsher sentence of two years probation, 200 hours of community service and a $5,000 fine.  While Crews didn't shoot McAtee, prosecutors say she started the chain of events by firing pepper balls toward his restaurant.  McAtee's niece was hit by those pepper balls which prompted McAtee to shoot out his doorway. He was shot and killed by a member of the state National Guard. [embedded content] Monday, defense attorney Steve Schroering said Crews had dedicated her life to service and didn't have any disciplinary issues before the night of McAtee's death. Beaton asked Schroering about a Facebook post and text messages, described in court documents, that Crews made about the 2020 protests. Schroering said the comments were in response to the stress of the situation.  Monday, prosecutors said the victim's family and attorneys were on board with the decision and wouldn't be submitting a victim impact statement. Crews herself didn't speak in court.  As part of the plea agreement, she also agreed not to seek employment as a law enforcement officer again. It comes as the McAtee family's attorney, Steve Romines, said the family has also settled its separate wrongful death lawsuit against LMPD and the Kentucky National Guard. "The family wanted to put all litigation behind them, both for themselves and the city that David loved," Romines said in a statement. "Ms. Odessa is 89-years-old and had no desire to litigate for another five years." Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users. Have a news tip? Email [email protected], visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – The family of David McAtee, a popular West End business owner who died after he was struck by a bullet fired by the Kentucky National Guard during protests over Breonna Taylor's death in 2020, has received $725,000 to settle a lawsuit.An attorney for Odessa Riley, McAtee's mother, confirmed the settlement on Monday. "The family wanted to put all litigation behind them, both for themselves and the city that David loved," according to a statement by attorney Steve Romines. "Ms. Odessa is 89 years old and had no desire to litigate for another five years."The lawsuit accused law enforcement of making a series of escalating mistakes, including firing pepper balls at fleeing citizens, turning off body cameras and using deadly force without justification or warning.The suit, filed in Jefferson Circuit Court in September 2020, claimed the 53-year-old barbecue chef committed no crime before he was killed on June 1, 2020.McAtee was inside his home and business, YaYa's Barbecue at 26th and Broadway, "calmly grilling" a little after midnight as people milled about outside of Dino's Food Mart across the street, according to the suit. At the time, there had been four nights of protests over Taylor's March, 13, 2020 killing by Louisville police.But people were "not protesting, vandalizing or looting" when police and guard members "swarmed" the area in unmarked vans and armored vehicles and began yelling for people to leave, according to the suit.Within just a few minutes, McAtee was dead and his niece, Machelle, who is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit, had been shot with pepper balls while standing just inside the kitchen of the business, which the suit noted has long been "a place of refuge" for locals and police officers looking for a good barbeque sandwich.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, LMPD Officers Allen Austin and Katie Crews and two members of the National Guard returned fire, 18 shots in total.Crews pleaded guilty in October to one count of misdemeanor deprivation of civil rights under the color of law after admitting she used "unreasonable force" by shooting pepper balls at Machelle McAtee while she was standing on private property and not a threat to officers.She was sentenced on Monday to two years probation with the stipulation that she not seek a job in law enforcement again.The lawsuit, filed by attorneys Romines, Ted Shouse and Michael Goodwin, said Crews initiated the sequence of events leading to McAtee's death, shooting pepper balls at people in front of YaYa's, forcing them to run inside the restaurant's kitchen door and then continuing to fire, hitting McAtee's niece.In an interview, Shouse noted that it was significant it took "federal intervention to bring the truth to light in court. It was federal authorities who pushed criminal charges."Police have said they were dispersing a crowd when McAtee fired a gun from the doorway of his business and officers returned fire.David McAtee's family and attorneys say he didn't know who was shooting at his restaurant and fired up in the air, not at officers. Police have said McAtee fired at officers. Available video is inconclusive.An analysis of the bullet fragments recovered from McAtee's body show they were fired from a guard member, but investigators have not been able to identify which rifle they came from. He died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.Security video shows Machelle react to the sudden impact and external video shows puffs of smoke from the fired pepper balls."At this point, still no individual had used any force toward any law enforcement officer, and the police use of weapons was completely unnecessary and gratuitous, and in violation of law and police policies and procedures," according to the suit.McAtee, the suit claims, was "unaware" of who was shooting and why and looked outside at the same time police fired projectiles "that exploded in smoke around the door."McAtee was wearing a gun holstered on his right hip. The lawsuit claims police had in the past told him he needed to carry a weapon to protect himself and his business.When McAtee again looked out the door, he raised his arm in the air and those responding "immediately unleashed a hail of at least 18 bullets," striking him in the chest, according to the suit. He stumbled back into the kitchen and fell.Romines has said McAtee was firing warning shots into the air.McAtee and his niece had committed no crime or disobeyed any commands from law enforcement, the suit says."They were not in violation of the newly imposed curfew," according to the suit. "They had not threatened any officer and posed no immediate threat to any officer."The night of the McAtee shooting, police had fired flash bang grenades and tear gas at protesters in Jefferson Square Park and were, the suit says, "amped up, armed to the hilt, and still spoiling for a fight" when they arrived at 26th and Broadway.Members of the guard were not supposed to make arrests or fire their weapons without instruction from commanding officers, the suit claims.After McAtee was killed, police left his body on the ground at the scene for more than 12 hours, which is not typical procedure, the suit says.The conduct from law enforcement was "so outrageous as to shock the conscious," according to the suit. A jury trial had been scheduled to begin in April. Copyright 2023 Media. All Rights Reserved.