A police officer accused of involvement in the death of Ronald Green reached a plea deal

A Louisiana police officer charged in the death of Ronald Green, who is black, took a plea deal this week.

Corey York on Monday waived a plea deal to reduced charges, avoiding prison time for his 2019 role as Green, a black motorist. This is the first conviction in a high-profile case of police brutality that has sparked national outrage.

York, one of five officers charged in the case two years ago, faced the most serious charges. Body camera video shows York pulling Green by ankle shackles and forcing him to lie face down in handcuffs moments before Green stopped breathing.

How did Green die?

Green’s death in May 2019 sparked suspicion at first, as state officials initially told his family that he had died in a car accident following a high-speed chase near Monroe. The emergency doctor quickly disputed this information. Despite this, the state police report on the crash made no mention of the use of force by officers, and it took 462 days for an internal investigation to begin. Throughout this period, officials, including former Gov. John Bel Edwards, have not released the body camera footage.

In 2021, the Associated Press obtained and published body camera footage showing soldiers surrounding Green as he appeared to raise his hands, begging for mercy and yelling, “I’m your brother! I’m afraid!”

Allegations against the police

The officers repeatedly used Tasers against Green, with one officer knocking him to the ground, applying a chokehold and punching him in the face.

Another soldier hit Green in the head with a flashlight, and the camera caught him boasting that he had “beat the living hell out of him.” That trooper, Chris Hollingsworth, was identified as the most responsible of the officers involved, but died in a single-car crash in 2020, just hours after being told he had been fired.

What is the York Agreement?

He pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor charge in lieu of prior charges against York of negligent homicide and official misconduct. He will now face a year of probation and has agreed to testify against another officer charged in the case.

The plea deal moved forward despite strong opposition from Green’s family, who said they had been misled about its terms and denied the chance to see the criminal charges heard in court.

District Attorney John Belton declined to comment on whether justice had been served in Green’s death, saying the case remains open.

Green’s mother, Mona Hardin, refused to sign a plea deal and said, “My family is a victim and we should have more of a voice.”

“It doesn’t have to end today,” she told the court. “This is wrong. It’s not fair.”

However, York’s attorney, Mike Small, said, “This is clearly a victory for Corey York. . . . This is not an admission of guilt.”

This article incorporates reporting from The Associated Press.