A Louisiana state trooper, known for his role in an in-custody death of a Black man earlier last year, has died. The death was caused by a single-vehicle highway crash and happened a brief time before he would have been fired.
What We Know:
- Chief investigator for the Ouachita Parish Coroner’s Office Warren Lee stated that Master Trooper Chris Hollingsworth was the fatal victim. He was pronounced dead on Tuesday after a short hospitalization. Hollingsworth was reportedly airlifted to Shreveport early Monday immediately following the crash on Interstate 20 near Monroe. No further details have been given on the accident.
- Hours prior to the fatal crash, Hollingsworth was notified that State Police had the intention to terminate his position as a result of his involvement in the death of Ronald Greene. An internal investigation on the May 2019 death of the 49-year-old Black man drew a considerable amount of criticism and developed into a federal civil rights investigation.
- Authorities initially noted that Greene’s death was caused by a high-speed chase in rural northern Louisiana, which allegedly began over a traffic violation and ended with his vehicle impacting a tree. Greene’s family accuses troopers of using excessive force while taking him into custody.
- Gov. John Bel Edwards said Tuesday that he had not seen footage of the incident himself, but pledged to make it public once investigations conclude. “When that happens,” he said, “the videos will be shown”. Greene’s family has also called for “the immediate arrest of the remaining men responsible for this tragic and unnecessary death”.
“Trooper Hollingsworth’s family has the finality of knowing exactly how he died as their community mourns his loss,” said Lee Merritt, a prominent civil rights attorney representing the family. “The family of Ronald Greene, however, is still being denied the same finality by the State of Louisiana.”
- Greene’s family added another federal wrongful-death lawsuit last May to what seems to be a growing list of similar cases this year. They accuse troopers of brutalizing Greene, using a stun gun on him three times, and beating him before covering up details on his death.
- The controversial case reawakened over the past week when Greene’s family released graphic photographs of the aftermath, and photos showing his car with little damage. This immediately sparked new questions on whether Greene received those injuries during the crash, as authorities told the family, or were inflicted by the troopers when arresting him.
The only considerable remark by State Police on Greene’s death was citing that he was resisting arrest and a struggle went down with troopers. The agency recently opened an internal investigation into the case last month. Before Hollingsworth’s death, he was placed on paid leave earlier this month and no word has been given on the other five troopers involved.
