Iowa police shootings: Confederate flag incident at stadium under scrutiny

The suspect in Wednesday's killings was removed from Urbandale High School's football stadium Oct. 14 after he claimed his Confederate flag was stolen by other spectators, authorities said.

The stadium is at the intersection where one of officers was found dead early Wednesday. Scott Michael Greene, 46, of Urbandale is suspected in the deaths of an Urbandale police officer and a Des Moines police officer in what were described as ambush-style attacks.

FULL COVERAGE: Two Des Moines metro officers killed in 'ambush' attacks

YouTube videos from a person calling himself Scott Greene shows the confrontation between him and Urbandale police officers outside Frerichs Field at 7111 Aurora Ave. in Urbandale last month.

Urbandale school officials confirmed there was an “incident” involving Greene at a football game in mid-October, and that the videos were shot on school property, but district spokeswoman Dena Soenke declined to comment on the details or any disciplinary actions taken.

“The police were involved,” said Soenke, who referred additional questions to police.

One 10-minute video, titled “Police Abuse, Civil Rights Violation at Urbandale High School 10/14/16,” was uploaded Oct. 16.

In the video, Greene is seen confronting officers, questioning why he is being asked to leave the school’s property. A different 10-second video by Greene, uploaded Oct. 21, shows an image of himself with Confederate and U.S. flags.

In the first video, officers remove Greene from the property, while he questions why he is being asked to leave. He is later told by officers that holding the Confederate flag is in violation of a code with the Urbandale school district.

Greene says that he was in the stands, holding a flag during the national anthem. He says that several “African-American” people behind him stole his Confederate flag. Throughout the video, he tells officers he wants to report an assault and a theft.

Officers tell him that people reported he was being a disturbance.

“It was almost like a mugging. I had my property and I was holding it and they stole it from me,” he says in the video.

Suspected police killer had history of run-ins with authorities

In a comment posted online with the YouTube video, someone calling himself Scott Greene says, “I was offended by the blacks sitting through our anthem. Thousands more whites fought and died for their freedom. However this is not about the Armed forces, they are cop haters.”

Urbandale Police Chief Ross McCarty said at a news conference Wednesday that Greene was well-known to Urbandale officers, although he didn't offer details.

"Most of our officers in the city have some understanding of Mr. Greene," he said.

Former Register staffer Thomas O'Donnell, 57, of Urbandale said he saw Greene during the football game that was posted online.

He said Greene walked by him while he was sitting in the stands, and he thought it was strange he was wearing a military-type camouflage vest. O'Donnell said he saw Greene carrying a U.S. flag.

"He passed in front of me and I thought it was strange," O'Donnell said.

Later, when he was leaving at half-time, O'Donnell said he saw Greene on Aurora Avenue, complaining to someone on the phone.

"I could hear him saying something on the phone about how he had been kicked out of the football game," O'Donnell said.