Louisiana police blocked investigators from charging one of their own for the death of an unarmed Black man during a traffic stop: report

• Louisiana State Police blocked an investigator from filing charges against an officer following the death of Ronald Greene, according to court documents obtained by USA Today Network.
• Body camera footage shows Louisiana State Police officers beating and dragging Greene during an arrest last year.
• Investigator Albert Paxton wrote that he was prevented from charging Master Trooper Chris Hollingsworth, whom he said turned off his body camera before the beating, documents show.

Louisiana State Police officials blocked investigators from charging an officer involved in the death of Ronald Greene, according to a report from the Lafayette Daily Advertiser and the USA Today Network.

According to documents obtained by USA Today Network, Louisiana State Police Investigator Albert Paxton wrote that he was prevented from charging Master Trooper Chris Hollingsworth, whom he said turned off his body camera before the beating that led to Greene's death.

Police initially said Greene died in car crash following a police chase in Monroe, Louisiana, in May 2019, but body camera footage later showed officers stunning, hitting, and dragging him during an arrest. He died on his way to the hospital.

In documents seen by USA Today Network, Paxton determined in 2019 that Hollingsworth should be charged with obstruction in the case, but department leadership blocked him from pursuing the charge.

"We were told there was no obstruction and we needed to wait on the autopsy. We didn't know where (Greene's) left hand was. Bad case law, he was turning off his camera to hide bad driving, call his girlfriend, he was the second car in the pursuit, 'what is evidence and who decides?'" Paxton wrote. "We were also told if we arrest Hollingsworth for turning off his camera then we (Bureau of Investigations) would have issues with patrol."

Hollingsworth died in a single-car crash in September 2020.

In a statement to Insider, Louisiana State Police said the department was cooperating with a federal and state investigation into Greene's death.

"LSP continues to offer our full cooperation with the investigation and fully intends to release all available documents and investigative files at the appropriate time," the department said. "All official investigative notes and reports were included in the case file delivered to investigating agencies. All circumstances surrounding this incident are being evaluated and reviewed in conjunction with the federal investigation."