After the death of a Louisville demonstrator at the hands of law enforcement Monday, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is ordering the State Police Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) to investigate the slaying.
The CIRT investigates officer-involved shootings throughout the commonwealth. He said the team will provide a fast and reliable investigation to provide a clear picture of the situation. Secretary of the Executive Cabinet Michael Brown will serve as Beshear’s liaison to the investigation. Brown said preliminary results indicate McAtee died from a single gunshot wound to the chest. The Louisville Metro Police Department released surveillance footageof the incident Tuesday.
Beshear said he is ordering a partial withdrawal of National Guard forces from Louisville to alleviate tension. He did not announce the specific number of guardsmen removed from the city, but he said a “sufficient amount” will remain to respond to potential violence.
Beshear also responded to looters and those inflicting physical damage to businesses in Louisville. He said he does not believe they are connected to the peaceful protestors voicing their concerns.
“I do not believe it’s related to the demonstrations,” Beshear said. “I believe, in fact, that the demonstrators very much would not want that to happen.”
Beshear confirmed 155 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, bringing the statewide total to 10,185. Despite the sporadic number of new cases over the previous week, Beshear said current trends do not indicate an overall increase in the number of cases.
“I still believe if we are not plateaued, we are decreasing,” Beshear said.
The new cases come from counties including Marion, Union, Logan, Crittenden, Graves and Henderson.
Three Kentuckians died Tuesday as a result of COVID-19. The statewide death toll now sits at 442.
More information on Kentucky’s response to the coronavirus pandemic may be found here.
