Five Louisiana law enforcement officers are facing multiple charges for the death of Ronald Greene, a Black motorist who died in 2019 after being brutally beaten by police during a traffic stop. The charges, revealed by a state grand jury on Thursday, include negligent homicide, obstruction and malfeasance.
Police initially blamed Greene’s death on a car crash. Video footage, which remained hidden for more than two years, later showed the officers beating, stunning and dragging the Louisiana man as he begged for mercy, the Associated Press reports.
Greene’s mother, Mona Hardin, has been demanding answers for more than three years.
“We’re all excited for the indictments but are they actually going to pay for it?” Hardin said, according to the Associated Press. “As happy as we are, we want something to stick.”
The officers first said Greene died in a car crash after a high-speed chase. A coroner’s report also listed Greene’s cause of death as a motor vehicle accident, while a state police crash report omitted any mention of officers using force.
Video footage of the incident remained hidden until 2021 when the Associated Press published it. The video shows officers surrounding Greene’s car, stunning him repeatedly, punching him in the head, dragging him by the shackles and leaving him on the ground for more than nine minutes. The 49-year-old begged for mercy.
“I’m your brother! I’m scared! I’m scared!” he said.
One of the five officers seen in the video, Master Trooper Kory York, dragged the heavyset man by his ankle shackles and put his foot on Greene’s back to force him down. York left Greene face down in the dirt for more than nine minutes.
“Lay on your f**king belly like I told you to!” York ordered.
The trooper is now charged with negligent homicide and 10 counts of malfeasance in office. The other officers face various counts of malfeasance and obstruction.
One of the troopers is facing charges for denying the existence of his body-camera footage. Another is accused of exaggerating Greene’s resistance on the scene.
A regional state police commander is also facing charges after detectives said he pressured them not to make an arrest in the case. Union Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher Harpin also faces charges after he taunted Greene on video, saying, “S**t hurts, doesn’t it?”
Union Parish District Attorney John Belton submitted arrest warrants for all five officers. Belton praised the racially mixed grand jury for hearing the evidence.
Another trooper seen on video striking Greene in the head, Chris Hollingsworth, died in a high-speed crash in 2020. The deadly crash happened shortly after Hollingsworth was told he would be fired over his role in Greene’s arrest.
Gov. John Bel Edwards faces scrutiny for allegedly covering up evidence of Greene’s death for more than two years. According to the Associated Press, Edwards stayed silent despite being informed immediately that the troopers engaged in a “violent, lengthy struggle” with Greene.
