La. Legislature to review handling of Ronald Greene’s death

(lailluminator.com) – A select committee of Louisiana lawmakers will be formed “to review the handling, on all levels” of Ronald Greene’s death in State Police custody, House Speaker Clay Schexnayder said in a written statement Thursday morning.

“I look to the committee to provide answers to questions regarding the incident and its handling that would assist members, the family, and the public in understanding what happened and help the state move forward,” Schexnayder said.

The committee will meet at the conclusion of the current special redistricting session, according to the speaker’s statement. “Invited witnesses” will be announced soon.

Greene, a 49-year-old Black motorist from West Monroe, died after a vehicle pursuit that ended in a crash outside Monroe in May 2019. The Associated Press obtained text messages and emails that provided insight on information shared with Gov. John Bel Edwards about the incident. An AP report last month revealed a text message to the governor on the night of Greene’s death. It was from then-State Police Superintendent Col. Kevin Reeves and informed Edwards that an unnamed motorist became unresponsive after a “violent, lengthy struggle” with troopers.

Edwards made no public comment on the manner of Greene’s death until after police body camera video emerged and showed police using stun guns on Greene as well as beating and dragging him. Troopers have claimed Greene had died as a result of injuries from the car crash.

The governor has taken issue with reaction to the AP story from political opponents who have implied that he might have withheld information on the true nature of Greene’s death from the deceased’s family and the public. At a Feb. 1 press conference in response to the AP report, he called the allegations “simply and categorically false.“

Edwards also met privately with members of the Legislative Black Caucus after the AP report was published. Caucus chairman Rep. Vincent Pierre, D-Lafayette, told reporters Monday he has confidence in the governor’s handling of the incident.

“I think the governor has done everything he possibly can to ensure that justice is served for the Greene family,” Pierre said. “I think further investigation will show that” … “I’m confident that what the governor has presented to us is exactly what transpired in those emails.”

The statement from Schexnayder says the select legislative committee is being appointed “based on new revelations in the case from the last week, including the concerning information shared in recent press articles and statements made by the Governor in his corresponding press conference.”

“The actions taken that night and the cryptic decisions and statements made every step of the way since then have eroded public trust. That trust can only be regained with a transparent and robust search for the whole truth in this matter,” Schexnayder said in the statement.

House Speaker Pro Temp Tanner Magee, R-Houma, will chair the select committee. Its members are: Reps. Tony Bacala, R-Prairieville; Jason Hughes, D-New Orleans; Edmond Jordan, D-Baton Rouge; Mandie Landry, D-New Orleans; C. Denise Marcelle, D-Marcelle; Richard Nelson, R-Mandeville; and Debbie Villio, R-Kenner.

“The members of this select committee understand the seriousness of this issue and hope to bring some closure to the family and public at large in this matter,” Magee said in the statement.

This article originally published in the February 14, 2022 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.