NEW ORLEANS — One day after the indictment of five law enforcement officers in the beating and death of motorist Ronald Greene, advocacy groups applauded the charges, but said the search for full justice should continue.
In a long-awaited announcement of criminal charges that was greeted with relief from Greene’s family, two former troopers and two current ones, along with a Union Parish sheriff’s deputy, were indicted on charges that include negligent homicide for one of the troopers and additional charges of malfeasance and obstruction of justice for all five.
Greene died on May 10, 2019 on a rural road outside of Monroe, La. after being beaten, tased, dragged on the ground and left in a prone position on the ground as the officers taunted him. Body and dash cam video shows Greene offering no resistance as he voices his increasing fear, pleading, “I’m your brother. I’m scared! I’m scared!”
Trooper Kory York, who was seen on body camera video dragging Greene’s limp body across the ground by leg shackles, faces the negligent homicide charge. The highest-ranking supervisor on the scene, Lt. John Clary, faces malfeasance and obstruction charges alleging that he tried to cover-up the brutality of the arrest by withholding the body cam footage and pushing a false narrative that Greene died as a result of his car crashing at the end of the high-speed chase.
A federal lawsuit by Greene’s family and the body cam video leaked to the Associated Press brought U.S. Justice Department scrutiny to the case, although no federal charges have been issued. But Union Parish District Attorney John Belton continued to pursue the case by assembling a state grand jury, which handed up the charges late Thursday.
The ACLU of Louisiana quickly issued a statement saying that the two remaining troopers still on the job – York and Clary – should be terminated.
State ACLU Chief Alanah Odoms, wrote, “The ACLU of Louisiana is calling for the termination and decertification of all officers indicted in Mr. Greene’s killing. Placing these troopers on administrative leave is not justice for Ronald Greene — it is instead a luxury that allows the officers who killed him to retire or resign and join any other law enforcement agency throughout the state. This lack of accountability is shocking because it means these troopers could be free to continue their pattern of abuse.”
“If this type of violent behavior is left unchecked, it will certainly result in more brutality and more deaths,” Odoms continued.
The Urban League of Louisiana, which began circulating a petition two years ago demanding justice for Greene, also weighted in.
“The Ronald Greene family has gone, they're now approaching their fourth Christmas without their loved one. And I can only imagine what his mother and his family feels today that there's a little bit of march toward justice in his case,” Urban League Vice-President Tyronne Walker said in an interview with WWL-TV. “But this is the reason why we need organizations, not only the media but advocacy groups, who are willing to stay with those families to continue to demand and push at every lever possible to make sure that justice is served.”
Gov. John Bel Edwards, who has been criticized for his initial silence and, later, his perceived lack of action in the case, also issued a statement Friday.
“I hope that the grand jury’s decision begins to bring some measure of peace to Mr. Greene’s family,” Edwards wrote in an emailed statement. “As I have said before, the manner in which Mr. Greene was treated was criminal. I know that Col. Lamar Davis has reiterated that Louisiana State Police are committed to full cooperation in the ongoing investigations and legal proceedings. Justice must prevail. Mr. Greene’s family deserves nothing less.”
On the defendants’ side, the attorney for York, prominent Alexandria lawyer Mike Small, wrote that plans on going to trial and “there will be no plea bargaining.”
“Federal prosecutors and FBI agents thoroughly and painstakingly reviewed all of the evidence and circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Greene,” Small wrote. “With all due respect, it’s clear to me that the federal prosecutors got it right and Mr. Belton got it wrong.”
Attorneys for the other four current and former officers could not be reached for comment.