No Action Taken Against Officer Who Lied About Ronald Greene Video

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By Alyssa Wilson Published: September 9, 2021

No Action Taken Against Officer Who Lied About Ronald Greene Video

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

The Louisiana state police officer who lied about his body camera footage in the case of Ronald Greene will face no disciplinary action.

WARNING – This story contains details of police violence some may find distressing.

Lieutenant John Clary, the highest-ranking state trooper on scene during Ronald Greene’s death, received no disciplinary action for lying about his body camera footage.

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Greene’s 2019 death came to light two years later when the footage from Clary’s body camera was released. It shows Master Trooper Kory York dragging Greene on his stomach. It also shows officers choking, beating and shocking him with a stun gun before he was dragged across the pavement. His death was originally blamed on a car crash and state police refused to release any footage publicly.

Clary originally gave a statement to detectives denying he had footage from the night Greene died, WBRZ reported. According to the Associated Press, Clary arrived on the scene after troopers beat Greene and he told investigators that Greene was resisting arrest. “The video evidence in this case does not show Greene screaming, resisting or trying to get away,” detective Albert Paxton wrote in a report on the incident. “The only screams revealed by the video were when Greene responded to force applied to him.”

The 31-year police veteran has not faced any discipline for his role in Greene’s death. Captain Nick Manale, a police spokesperson, said internal reviews are still ongoing.

Many in the community were surprised that Clary still has a high-profile police role. Over the weekend, he was seen alongside LA Tech’s head football coach Skip Holtz at a game against Mississippi State.

“I’m surprised, especially in light of the hurricane, that LSP is fully mobilized, and there should be some job in this state if they will keep him on duty rather than a position of honor, guarding the LA Tech football coach,” said former prosecutor Beau Brock. “I’m shocked. It appears optically that someone in State Police must be condoning whatever happened or taking no action.”

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