First Responders

‘All of a Sudden He Just Went Limp’: Audio of Louisiana Trooper Describing Beating Emerges

October 3, 2020Ethan E. Rocke
Coffee or Die Photo

A body-camera recording obtained by The Associated Press caught a Louisiana State trooper talking about severely beating a Black man after a car chase in May 2019, the AP reported Thursday.


The AP did not publish the 27-second audio clip, but it reported that Master Trooper Chris Hollingsworth, who died Sept. 22 after being told he was fired for his role in the case and later crashed his vehicle, can be heard saying, “I beat the ever-living fuck out of him.”


The AP report says the audio captured Hollingsworth talking of beating and choking 49-year-old Ronald Greene last year before “all of a sudden he just went limp.”


Family members of Ronald Greene listen to speakers as demonstrators gather for the March on Washington, in Washington, on the 57th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Screenshot from YouTube via WWLTV.

Greene’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit this year alleging state troopers “brutalized” Greene and “left him beaten, bloodied and in cardiac arrest” before covering up his actual cause of death.


State police have resisted the release of body-camera footage from the incident involving six troopers, which they described as a struggle to take him into custody following a car chase north of Monroe, Louisiana, after Greene failed to stop for an unspecified traffic violation.


Federal authorities have opened a civil rights investigation into the case.


“Greene’s family said authorities initially claimed Greene died after crashing into a tree but omitted what State Police now acknowledge was the ‘struggle’ preceding his death,” the AP reported Sept. 14. “The lawsuit, drawing on witness accounts, alleges officers pinned Greene to the ground and used a stun gun on him even after he apologized for leading them on a chase.”


This photo provided by the family of Ronald Greene via the Baton Rouge chapter of the NAACP in September shows injuries on his body. Screenshot from YouTube via WWLTV.

Lee Merritt, a prominent civil rights lawyer representing Greene’s family, said, “The physical evidence we’ve been able to review is inconsistent with the manner of death that they’ve described.”


Laurie James, first assistant district attorney in Union Parish, told the AP that local prosecutors did not bring charges against the responding troopers but referred Greene’s death to the US Justice Department for a civil rights investigation.


This undated photo provided by the family of Ronald Greene in September shows Greene’s vehicle after it was released by the Louisiana State Police. Screenshot from YouTube via WWLTV.

The report says “Greene was taken into custody after resisting arrest and a struggle with Troopers” and that he “became unresponsive” and died on the way to a local hospital.


Greene’s family’s lawsuit contends his vehicle “did not make impact with a tree and his airbag did not deploy” and Greene “was not injured and could walk, speak and otherwise function in a healthy manner after the crash.” The lawsuit, which says an autopsy found cuts and “blunt-force injuries” to Greene’s head and face, contends that the crash could not have caused his fatal injuries.


This undated photo provided by the family of Ronald Greene in September shows Greene’s vehicle after it was released by the Louisiana State Police. Screenshot from YouTube via WWLTV.

The family released graphic photos of injuries on Greene’s face and head, as well as photos of his damaged car.


Even after Hollingsworth’s death, state police — citing an ongoing investigation — refused to comment on the trooper’s use of force or say which policies he was accused of violating.


Mark Maguire, a Philadelphia attorney who is also representing Greene’s family, told the AP, “Obviously the body cam footage is critical.”



Ethan E. Rocke
Ethan E. Rocke

Ethan E. Rocke is a contributor and former senior editor for Coffee or Die Magazine, a New York Times bestselling author, and award-winning photographer and filmmaker. He is a veteran of the US Army and Marine Corps. His work has been published in Maxim Magazine, American Legion Magazine, and many others. He is co-author of The Last Punisher: A SEAL Team THREE Sniper’s True Account of the Battle of Ramadi.

More from Coffee or Die Magazine
navy seal training
Navy SEALS Training Plagued by Massive Problems, According To Investigation

Medical oversight and care were “poorly organized, poorly integrated and poorly led and put candidat...

memorial day arlington
Memorial Day Is a Day of Remembrance, Not Celebration

Memorial Day was created as a remembrance to honor the fallen by decorating graves — a holiday meant...

air force joint chiefs
Air Force Fighter Pilot Tapped As Next Joint Chiefs Chairman Has History of Firsts

The Air Force fighter pilot about to be nominated as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ...

sowf special operations warrior foundation
BRCC Donates $500K to Special Operations Warrior Foundation

In an effort to continue Black Rifle Coffee Company’s mission of supporting the veteran community, B...

Coca Cola 600
BRCC to Honor Fallen Marine During NASCAR’s Legendary Coca-Cola 600

Black Rifle Coffee Company will honor Marine Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Menusa during NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 this Memorial Day. Menusa was killed in 2003 during the invasion of Iraq.

uss gerald r. ford oslo
US Aircraft Carrier Arrives In NATO Member Norway, To Take Part In Drills

The nuclear-powered ship USS Gerald R. Ford entered the Oslo fjord escorted by a rapid dinghy-type boat with armed personnel on board.

adam driver indy 500
Marine Vet, Actor Adam Driver Named Honorary Starter for Indianapolis 500

Two-time Academy Award nominee Adam Driver, who will soon be starring as Enzo Ferrari in a biopic of...

  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
Contact Us
  • Request a Correction
  • Write for Us
  • General Inquiries
© 2023 Coffee or Die Magazine. All Rights Reserved