(CNN)David "Yaya" McAtee and his BBQ joint were fixtures on the Louisville corner where he was fatally shot as police and the Kentucky National Guard dispersed a large crowd early Monday.
McAtee, 53, called the spot "one of the busiest locations in West Louisville," where he had built a steady clientele over the years that included local cops his mother said usually ate for free. It was a popular outdoor eatery he had dreamed of turning into a restaurant, according to his mother and a February interview he gave the local West of Ninth photo blog.