In 2019, Ronald Greene, a Black man, was killed by police officers in Louisiana. The officers were indicted in 2020 for their roles in his death. Greene was initially stopped for failing to use his turn signal, and then police say he resisted arrest and was tased. Body camera footage later showed the officers brutally beating Greene before he was handcuffed. In the video, one of the officers can be heard saying, “I beat the ever-living f**k out of him.”
Ronald Greene was then left handcuffed and lying face down on the ground for nearly nine minutes before he was turned over onto his side. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The autopsy report showed that Greene had multiple injuries consistent with being beaten, including a fractured jaw and several broken ribs. The coroner ruled Greene’s death a homicide.
The footage contradicted the initial police narrative that Ronald Greene had died as a result of a car crash. The indictment of the officers is a rare step towards accountability for police violence against Black people in the United States. The officers involved in Greene’s death face charges of negligent homicide and excessive force.
The five officers involved in Greene’s death were indicted by a grand jury in July 2020 on charges of excessive force and obstruction of justice. If convicted, they could face up to 10 years in prison.
