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Louisiana police trooper kicked, dragged Black man who died in custody: Police records

Sunday, 28 February 2021 9:25 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 28 February 2021 10:02 AM ]

Family members of Ronald Greene listen to speakers prior to a demonstration in Washington. (File photo via AP)

A Louisiana police trooper kicked and dragged a handcuffed Black man who died in police custody, new police records show.

Ronald Greene’s death has not been explained yet and is still the subject of a federal civil rights investigation.

Master Trooper Kory York, who dragged Greene “on his stomach by the leg shackles” following a violent arrest and high-speed pursuit, has been suspended.

The internal State Police records obtained by the Associated Press mark the first public acknowledgement by State Police that Greene was mistreated.

The records confirm details provided last year by an attorney for Greene’s family who viewed a graphic body camera video of the May 2019 arrest.

It can be seen in the video that troopers choke and beat Greene, repeatedly jolting him with stun guns and dragging him face-down across the pavement, the attorney told the AP.

State Police, which have repeatedly refused to publicly release the video, have also been unwilling to talk about Greene’s death. The agency initially blamed the Black man’s fatal injuries on a car accident outside Monroe, La.

Louisiana State Police arrests 4 troopers for 'use of force...

York turned his own body camera off on his way to the scene, but he can be seen on other body-cam video yanking Greene’s shackles and repeatedly using profanity toward the man before his death in custody.

“You’re gonna lay on your ... belly like I told you!” the trooper says at one point, according to the records.

York was suspended without pay for 50 hours following an internal probe.

“It is now undisputed that Trooper York participated in the brutal assault that took Ronald Greene’s life,” said Mark Maguire, a Philadelphia civil rights attorney who represents Greene’s family. “This suspension is a start but it does not come close to the full transparency and accountability the family continues to seek.”

African Americans are far more likely to be shot, arrested and imprisoned by police than any other racial group, according to various studies.

Experts say the dramatic gap in police shootings and prison rates reflects biased policing as well as the vast economic and educational inequalities that plague much of the country.

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