Federal prosecutors have decided not to bring charges in the in the deadly 2019 arrest of Black motorist Ronald Greene in north Louisiana.

Ronald Greene’s deadly arrest on a rural Louisiana roadside in 2019 sparked outrage after The Associated Press published long-suppressed body-camera video showing white state troopers stunning, beating and dragging the Black motorist as he wailed, “I’m scared!”.

Five Louisiana law enforcement officers have been charged with state crimes for their roles in the 2019 arrest of Ronald Greene, whose death authorities initially blamed on a car crash until The Associated Press published long-withheld body-camera video showing the Black motorist being stunned, beaten and dragged.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has denounced the deadly 2019 arrest of Ronald Greene as “regrettable,” criticizing the state troopers who repeatedly stunned, choked and punched the Black motorist.

FILE - In this Sept. 25, 2020 file photo, a heavy Louisiana State Police presence is seen at the New Chapel Hill Baptist Church during funeral services for Master Trooper Chris Hollingsworth in West Monroe, La. An Associated Press review of thousands of records has revealed multiple cases when Louisiana State troopers and some of their supervisors exchanged emails with casual, demeaning uses of the n-word. – A Black trooper with the Louisiana State Police was on a break when his cellphone buzzed with an unusual voice message. “I believe this to be an isolated incident and I have great confidence in the men and women who serve in the Louisiana State Police,” the agency’s outgoing head, Col. Kevin Reeves, said in response to the controversy. John Bel Edwards appointed a Black State Police captain, Lamar Davis, to succeed Reeves, who is white.

Greene died following a police chase in Louisiana in 2019, and his death is now under federal investigation. “This family has been lied to the entire time about what happened,” said civil rights attorney Lee Merritt, who also viewed the footage. Police initially told Greene’s family he had “died on impact” after crashing into a tree, the doctor wrote. Greene’s death, which followed a chase near Monroe over an unspecified traffic violation, was ruled accidental and attributed to cardiac arrest, said Renee Smith, the Union Parish coroner who was not in office when that determination was made. The State Police report refers to Greene crashing into a tree as the “the most harmful event” in the crash.

Officials originally said his injuries were caused by a car crash that ended a May 2019 police chase or an ensuing struggle with state troopers. “He was spitting blood everywhere and all of a sudden he just went limp.”“It is shocking that this evidence has been withheld for over a year,” said Lee Merritt, an attorney for Greene’s family. He called on state officials to immediately release the full footage. Even after the trooper’s death, the State Police have refused to comment on Hollingsworth’s use of force or say which policies he was accused of violating in Greene’s arrest. Court records show he served more than a year in prison following a 2015 conviction for burglary and grand theft.

A Louisiana State Police motorcycle honor guard precedes the hearse carrying the body of Master Trooper Chris Hollingsworth, Friday, Sept. 25, 2020, in West Monroe, La. Hollingsworth, who was white, was the only one of six troopers placed on leave earlier this month in the May 2019 death of Greene following a high-speed chase. Police initially told Greene’s family he died from injuries in a crash but later acknowledged troopers “struggled” with him during the arrest. Unlike other trooper deaths, Hollingsworth’s was not announced internally by the agency’s superintendent, Col. Kevin Reeves. “The Hollingsworth family has elected to have a private ceremony for family and friends and asks for privacy at this time,” said Lt. Nick Manale, a State Police spokesman.

(Michael M. Santiago/Pool via AP)A Louisiana state trooper has died following a single-vehicle highway crash that happened just hours after he learned he would be fired for his role last year in the in-custody death of a Black man. But Greene’s family alleges troopers used excessive force and “brutalized” him while taking him into custody. State Police, despite growing pressure, have repeatedly declined to release body-camera footage and other records related to Greene’s arrest, citing the ongoing investigations. The controversy deepened last week when Greene’s family released graphic photographs showing deep bruises and cuts to his face, and other photos showing his car with little damage. That came Sept. 9 — the same day the AP filed a records request for body camera footage of Greene’s arrest.

The death of the 49-year-old remains shrouded in secrecy because State Police have declined to release body-camera footage related to the May 2019 chase north of Monroe, La. (Courtesy of the Greene family via AP)A Louisiana state trooper under federal investigation for his role in the in-custody death of a Black man last year was critically injured early Monday in a single-vehicle crash. State Police had been considering disciplinary action against Hollingsworth but have repeatedly declined to release body-camera footage or other records of Greene's arrest. Greene’s death also remains the subject of a civil rights investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Justice Department. Hollingsworth had been placed on leave the same day the AP filed a records request for body camera footage of Greene's arrest.