Greene led police on a high-speed chase via Monroe on Could 10, 2019. Troopers then received him out of his automotive, tazed him a number of occasions, beat him, and dragged him.
NEW ORLEANS — It’s taken two years for the brutal beating and demise of Ronald Greene in Louisiana State Police custody to return into focus.
Final week, Louisiana State Police launched all the physique digicam footage related to the case. However why did it take the general public so lengthy to see the physique digicam footage? And what led as much as this second?
Right here’s a better have a look at what we all know in regards to the timeline of the case.
Greene led police on a high-speed chase via Monroe on Could 10, 2019. Troopers then received him out of his automotive, tazed him a number of occasions, beat him, and dragged him.
Greene spent greater than 9 minutes in a inclined place, face down on the bottom, and was dragged by his ankles at one level.
Police reported that Greene’s case was a visitors fatality, and didn’t launch physique digicam video. Greene’s mom, Mona Hardin, informed the Related Press quickly after that she knew one thing was fallacious instantly.
In Could of 2020, Greene’s household recordsdata a wrongful demise lawsuit, alleging state troopers “brutalized” Greene and left him “overwhelmed, bloodied, and in cardiac arrest.”
August twenty fifth, 2020, 474 days after Inexperienced’s demise, Louisiana State Police opened an inner investigation.
A number of weeks later, September ninth, Trooper Chris Hollingsworth, certainly one of a number of troopers on the scene who tampered with their physique cameras throughout Greene’s arrest, was positioned on go away.
On September 14th, 2020, 16 months after Inexperienced’s demise, the Related Press reported that the FBI and Division of Justice had been trying into civil rights investigations.
A number of days later, images of Greene’s post-mortem leaked. The images confirmed deep bruises and gashes on Greene, however comparatively minor injury to his automotive. The images forged main doubt on LSP’s declare that Inexperienced died in a crash.
Then, in late September Trooper Chris Hollingsworth discovered he could be fired. He died the following day, September twenty second, 2020, in a automotive crash.
On October 1, 2020, audio of Hollingsworth after the encounter with Greene leaked to the Related Press. Within the audio, which was later revealed to be a part of his physique digicam video from the night time of Greene’s arrest, Hollingsworth says to a fellow trooper,
“And I beat the ever dwelling f— out of him, choked him and the whole lot making an attempt to get him beneath management. … after which he simply went limp.”
Nearly instantly after, leaders like Louisiana State Consultant Edward “Ted” James put extra strain on state police.
“When this turned a difficulty to us, the Black Caucus instantly sprang into motion,” mentioned Rep. James. “We met with the Governor, and the governor requested state police and the district lawyer to permit the household and their attorneys to see the video. Now, that’s unprecedented.”
In accordance with Governor John Bel Edwards, on October 14th, 2020, he and Inexperienced’s household, together with another events, considered the physique digicam footage associated to Greene’s demise. However the video was nonetheless stored from the general public eye.
“State Police didn’t launch it as a result of the D-A requested that it not be launched earlier than the investigation was concluded, after which subsequently the US Division of Justice initiated an investigation and made the identical request,” mentioned Governor Edwards.
Subsequent got here modifications inside state police. In October 2020, Superintendent Kevin Reeves introduced he would retire, amid a number of swirling controversies.
Images: Lethal arrest Ronald Greene by Louisiana State Police
Governor Edwards appointed Colonel Lamar Davis the brand new superintendent.
In January of 2021, Trooper Kory York, who additionally tampered along with his physique digicam throughout Greene’s arrest, was suspended for 50 hours.
After which in Could of 2021, the bombshell. A clip of physique digicam footage leaked to the Related Press, making nationwide headlines.
The renewed curiosity within the case put strain on State Police to launch extra movies associated to the case. State Police introduced Friday that it might launch all physique digicam footage associated to the case, which incorporates physique cameras and dash-camera footage from 4 completely different troopers’ views.
Despite the fact that state police launched the footage, federal investigations haven’t concluded.
Superintendent Col. Davis has promised to “comply with the info” and maintain his personnel accountable.
► Get breaking information out of your neighborhood delivered on to you by downloading the brand new FREE WWL-TV Information app now within the IOS App Store or Google Play.
