ICYMI: Before Allegedly Killing 2 Iowa Police Officers, Suspect Waved Confederate Flag Near Black People at HS Football Game

By Sameer Rao Nov 04, 2016

Reports indicate that the White man suspected of fatally shooting two White police officers in Iowa Wednesday (November 2) published videos he took of himself holding a Confederate flag near Black attendees at a high school football game and arguing with school officials over his removal. 

A school district spokesperson confirmed with The Des Moines Register that Scott Michael Greene was involved in a mid-October "incident" at Urbandale High School in Urbandale, Iowa. They also confirmed that two videos from the YouTube account of "Scott Greene" seemingly depicting the aforementioned incident were shot on school property, but wouldn’t elaborate. 

The first video, published on October 16, is titled "Police Abuse, Civil Rights Violation at Urbandale High School 10/14/16." The 10-minute first-person video appears to show Greene arguing with school officials and officers about being told to leave the game after being allegedly "assaulted" and his Confederate flag taken from him by several "African-American people." “It was almost like a mugging," he says. "I had my property, and I was holding it and they stole it from me."

The second video, titled "Civil Rights Violation at Urbandale High School 10/14/16" was uploaded on October 21. It shows a still image of a White man, presumably Greene, holding Confederate and American flags by Black game attendees. 

Greene was arrested Wednesday after police found Urbandale officer Justin Martin shot to death near the aforementioned stadium. They found Des Moines Sgt. Anthony Bemino fatally shot a half-hour later, just a mile-and-a-half away in Des Moines. Both officers were killed in ambush attacks, according to authorities. While police did not reveal the exact evidence linking Green to the shootings, authorities did tell media that Greene was a known personality to the Urbandale police. 

The New York Times additionally reported that Greene received a court order hours before the shootings that told him to move out of his mother’s house. His mother accused him of emotional and physical abuse, asking for a protection order on October 19. Three days earlier—the day the first video was posted—she was arrested after he accused her of abuse.