More than three years after Louisiana motorist Ronald Greene was dragged from his vehicle and fatally beaten by Louisiana State troopers, the officers involved have been criminally charged."They need to be held accountable because if not, [you're] condoning the killing of Ronald Greene. You're okay with my son being murdered," said Mona Hardin, Greene's mother.Five officers face a variety of charges, from negligent homicide to obstruction of justice."Although the gravity of the charges is not exactly what we had hoped for, were not remiss to know or think that this is historic in Louisiana to have five indictments on five troopers," said Eugene Collins, NAACP Baton Rouge president.Local District Attorney John Belton presented evidence to a state grand jury that ultimately handed down the indictments.SEE MORE: New Evidence In Ronald Greene's Death At Hands Of Louisiana PoliceFormer officer Kory York faces the most serious charges: negligent homicide and 10 counts of malfeasance in office. York can be seen in bodycam video dragging Greene by his ankles. If convicted, he could face more than 50 years behind bars.But some community members say it's not enough."I don't feel like it's justice," activist Breka Peoples said. "I feel like they should have got charged with murder. I mean, a great leader told me we can't treat extraordinary things like they're normal because it's not normal."Greene, a 49-year-old barber, was killed in May 2019. He was traveling to Florida to meet his wife when a high-speed car chase over a traffic violation ended when his vehicle hit a tree.After the crash, Greene was beaten, stunned and dragged during a struggle with Louisiana State Police. Officers originally told Greene's family he was killed by the car crash.An autopsy later revealed that was not true. Authorities refused to release video of the incident, though the Associated Press obtained copies showing Greene pleading with officers while being struck.Greene's death has opened up multiple investigations on the state and federal level.Along with a federal civil rights investigation, Louisiana lawmakers are investigating allegations of a cover up by Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards."I will never and I have never done anything to impede or impair an investigation," Gov. Edwards said. "I have never done anything to prevent justice from being served."The sixth officer involved in Greene's death, Chris Hollingsworth, died in a single-vehicle car crash in May of 2020, with officials saying the crash came just hours after he was told he'd be fired for his role in Greene's death.Hollingsworth can be seen in the video striking Greene with a flashlight. In a recording from his own body-camera, Hollingsworth admits to beating and choking the man, saying, "I beat the ever-loving f*** outta him trying to get him under control."
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Louisiana legislators who last year demanded answers from Gov. John Bel Edwards on whether he was complicit in a cover-up of state troopers' killing of a Black motorist quietly abandoned their work without issuing any findings.
