One day after the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus asked the Department of Justice to investigate the Louisiana State Police in regards to the death of Ronald Greene, the FBI has demanded more information regarding the case.
According to a report the Associated Press published today (July 7), the FBI is ordering a new look at the autopsy for Greene, who died after being in a chase with Louisiana state troopers. The chase ended in a crash, and after he was out of the vehicle, Greene was beaten and dragged by the troopers.
In May, the Associated Press released body cam footage of the incident, footage that apparently wasn’t provided to the FBI when they first looked into the case. The video appears to have given the FBI even more motivation to further look into the case.
“They wanted to emphasize to the family that they’re serious this time,” says Lee Merritt, who works as an attorney for Greene’s family. “Their new enthusiasm is based on the public pressure that’s come from the release of the videos.”
The FBI is also ordering training records for two of the officers involved with the chase. One of them is Chris Hollingsworth, who admitted that he hit Greene in the head with a flashlight. The other is Hollingsworth died in a car crash last year. The other officer is Dakota DeMoss.
The Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus believes that there’s been a coverup in the case of Greene, and yesterday, they asked the Department of Justice to get involved with the case.
“The simple fact that Mr. Greene was killed in police custody was a tragedy; the attempts to cover it up and place blame on the victim are shameful,” reads the letter they sent the DOJ. “The Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus requests the Department of Justice to investigate the Louisiana State Police and unearth the true roots of these issues so that we may commit to our citizens some measures of safety and protection.”