In the early morning hours of Derby Day in Louisville, Kentucky, tragedy struck a family that had already been repeatedly touched by gun violence. Martez Rayshawn McAtee, a 28-year-old African American man, was shot and killed on May 3, 2025, during a large gathering in the parking lot of a Kroger grocery store at the intersection of Broadway and 28th Streets.
Another woman, 21-year-old Autumn Seelye, was also killed in the shooting, and a third person was injured.
McAtee, a father of three, was remembered by his loved ones as a kind-hearted and sweet person with a big heart who cared for everyone around him. He was a culinary enthusiast who had earned a certificate in the trade and was known for his love of cooking. In the wake of his death, his family gathered for a vigil at the site of the shooting, clutching his picture and pleading for an end to the senseless violence that has plagued their city and their family. His cousin, Charra Malone, expressed the family's heartbreak and their desperate search for answers.
The pain of Martez McAtee's death was compounded by the family's history of tragic losses. His father, Marvin McAtee, had been killed in a shooting years prior in a case that remains unsolved. Furthermore, his great-uncle, David McAtee, was fatally shot by a Kentucky National Guard member in 2020 during the protests that followed the death of Breonna Taylor. The McAtee family has been forced to navigate a recurring cycle of grief and the search for justice.
As of now, the Louisville Metro Police Department has not made any arrests or publicly identified any suspects in the shooting that took Martez McAtee's life. Authorities have noted that hundreds of people were present in the Kroger parking lot when the gunfire erupted and have urged anyone with information to come forward. The investigation remains ongoing as a family and a community continue to mourn and hope for a resolution that will bring those responsible to justice.
