FBI Review Disproves Police's Claims About Ronald Greene's Death

By Alyssa Wilson Published: November 3, 2021

FBI Review Disproves Police’s Claims About Ronald Greene’s Death

Ronald Greene smiles in an undated photo provided by his family. A Louisiana State Police trooper has been suspended without pay for kicking and dragging Greene, a handcuffed Black man whose in-custody death remains unexplained and the subject of a federal civil rights investigation. Body camera footage shows Master Trooper Kory York dragging Greene “on his stomach by the leg shackles” following a violent arrest and high-speed pursuit, according to internal State Police records obtained by The Associated Press. (Courtesy of the Greene family via AP)

In Summary

A new review of Ronald Greene's death by the FBI goes against the cause of death released by Louisiana State Police.

WARNING – This story contains details about police violence. Resources for those triggered by this content are available here.

An autopsy conducted by the FBI rejects the claims made by the Louisiana State Police about Ronald Greene’s death.

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Louisiana State Police said that Greene died from injuries he sustained in a car crash following a police chase in 2019, but an investigation into his death showed that he died in police custody.

Two years later in May 2021, the Associated Press released body camera footage showing the cops beating, kicking and dragging Greene on the pavement.

Greene’s family said that the FBI’s autopsy confirms their suspicions that there was more to the story that police initially told them.

According to USA Today, the FBI’s new forensic review showed that Greene being struck in the head, being restrained and allegedly having cocaine in his system led to his death. However, the review did not re-evaluate Greene’s body.

The original autopsy included a crash and “agitated delirium” as contributors to his death. The new FBI review removed that language from the report.

It’s unclear if the Union Parish coroner will officially change the cause of Greene’s death from accidental to homicide, which could lead to criminal charges against the officers involved in his death.

So far, no officer has faced charges connected to their involvement in the incident. The highest-ranking trooper on scene received no disciplinary action for lying about the video.

Mona Hardin, Green’s mother, hopes the new FBI review will help her family receive justice. “This thing has been so crazy,” she said. “No one has properly grieved.”

If you or someone you know is struggling from trauma triggered by this story, resources are available here.  