Louisiana State Police boasts multiple divisions specializing in specific crimes or security needs, such as bomb squad, air support unit, and exceptional executive protection detail for protecting the governor, lieutenant governor and dignitaries, capitol grounds, and state-owned facilities.
Money raised through LSTA’s One Vest, One Life campaign will go towards purchasing level four ballistic vests for all active state troopers – these vests can stop high-powered rounds that have injured or killed officers in the past.
Michael Robinson Jr.
Michael Robinson Jr., 23, from Monroe, Louisiana, was shot dead while driving his car in Franklin Parish – a small rural community in central Louisiana – last December. Since his death has raised many questions and doubts; however, recent findings may help shed some light on it: A state trooper discovered Robinson’s body after stopping it for traffic violations and noting bullet holes on its driver’s side as well as marijuana smell in its trunk; after convincing its driver to let them search the vehicle (they agreed), which resulted in finding his lifeless body inside its box – just in case this case!
Michael Robinson Jr.’s death is a significant loss for his family, friends, and community in Monroe. A graduate from Carroll High School who had planned to enroll at Grambling State University this fall. According to Adrian Harris – Robinson’s cousin – their family has lost a son and a brother. Additionally, they wish to express their thanks and gratitude towards the state trooper who discovered his service.
At trial, Mitchell admitted to an armed robbery with Cameron Powe in Richwood and shooting Robinson. At first, he blamed Powe for both acts and Robinson’s death; later, however, he recanted these statements, raising many doubts about the accuracy and credibility of accusations against Powe. This case has raised many questions over Mitchell’s confession and the credibility of allegations against Powe.
Michael Robinson Jr.’s death is a painful reminder of how crime affects lives throughout a community, emphasizing the necessity of seeking justice with diligence and clarity. Murder by another is always tragic for everyone involved, and conducting an in-depth investigation to ensure those guilty are brought to justice is vital in maintaining order in society. Michael Robinson Jr. is proof of this, as authorities eventually caught and imprisoned the suspects involved.
Trooper Michael Mitchell Jr.
Michael Mitchell was arrested for murdering a Monroe, Louisiana, resident in November 2020 and immediately became the subject of local outrage and nationwide condemnation over police misconduct and mishandling of the case. This incident is a stark reminder of how vital due process rights are; an innocent prisoner can have devastating repercussions for their family and community if wrongly imprisoned.
State trooper Michael Mitchell noticed bullet holes on the driver’s side of Mitchell’s vehicle during a traffic stop and, coupled with Mitchell’s conflicting statements during questioning, led him to give verbal consent for further investigation by allowing a trooper to search his trunk where the lifeless body of Michael Robinson Jr was discovered.
According to a police warrant, Mitchell confessed to committing the robbery with Cameron Powe and shot Robinson multiple times before placing his body into Mitchell’s car trunk.
Recently released video footage of the incident provides an intimate, raw, and honest account of its events. It shows the officer’s and Mitchell’s interaction and offers a unique perspective on this tragic event. It has caused much discussion and debate among police and legal professionals since its release.
This new evidence casts grave doubt on Mitchell and Powe’s claims in this case and raises serious doubt about what occurred to Robinson. Furthermore, this information clouds key players and their motivations or credibility within this investigation.
Louisiana state troopers have often been accused of assaulting black motorists. Most recently, one soldier was caught on video punching, stunning, and dragging another black motorist to his death on a rural roadside – prompting a federal civil rights investigation of that police unit involved.
Investigators
On Wednesday, a Louisiana State Trooper pulled over Michael Mitchell Jr.’s vehicle for speeding, KARD reports. Smelling marijuana and noticing bullet holes on its driver’s side, the trooper asked to search it after sensing marijuana odor and bullet holes on its passenger side. Upon doing so, he discovered a body in its trunk with apparent head trauma. Police suspected possible wrongdoing in this incident, emphasizing the daily risks that law enforcement officers face. An autopsy has since been scheduled. This incident stands as a testimony of what can happen when an encounter can go the wrong way and highlights just how far down their safety concerns go when handling similar situations with potentially fatal results as this incident;
Relatives
On Friday, Louisiana state trooper Master Trooper Chris Hollingsworth’s relatives held his funeral services with honor. Under tight security in a church packed to capacity on a misty and overcast day, hundreds of people attended, including police officers in uniform.
Hollingsworth was involved in an accident Monday morning near Monroe and received notification hours earlier from State Police that they planned to discipline him for his role in arresting Ronald Greene last year, an event which generated national outrage, led to a federal civil-rights probe, and caused calls for body cam footage released from police cars.
State Police has not released the footage due to ongoing investigations; Hollingsworth’s death was just part of an ongoing controversy that dates back years.
Days before his death, Hollingsworth entered a secure room within state police headquarters and pledged his faithfulness to tell the truth. Gone was any bravado from a video clip in which he boasted that he beat “the ever-living f— out of him.”
He told investigators that during a struggle between Greene and other troopers, he and other officers grabbed, slapped, and hit him with batons. During that time, they dragged Greene face-down onto the ground with his ankle shackles still attached.
Greene was taken to Glenwood Medical Center after the crash, eventually succumbing. A medical report listed cardiac arrest as the cause of Greene’s death; however, family members filed a federal wrongful-death lawsuit alleging troopers used stun guns on him repeatedly before leaving him “beaten and bloodied and in cardiac arrest.”
State Police has placed four other officers involved in Greene’s beating on paid leave without being charged with crimes. Commissioner Richard Holman has come out to defend them by suggesting they acted in self-defense when arresting Greene.
