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Family of Ricky Dorado discusses year-long ordeal
The family of a man who died in police custody wants answers. They say they have not gotten after a year-long ordeal. FOX 5 broke the story of the Atlanta police apprehension of Ricky Dorado. The Fulton County Medical Examiner linked the death directly to Dorado being pinned down, face down.
ATLANTA - The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office linked the death of a young man to being pinned down on his stomach by Atlanta police officers.
Ricky Dorado's family wants answers and described the ordeal of more than a year since they learned about the death.
"My nieces and nephews are left without a father," said Arcelia Beltran, one of Dorado's sisters.
The family gathered together on a Zoom to speak to reporters.
They acknowledge Dorado suffered from a mental condition. He had an episode in August of last year when Atlanta authorities say he harassed motorists for no apparent reason.
Officers came to the scene, but the suspect fled to a gas station and tried to hide.
When police got him out of a bathroom, they say, Dorado fought them. An attempt to use a Taser him and deploy pepper spray, both failed.
Several officers took him to the floor and after a few minutes, Dorado wrists were cuffed.
"What happened after that was unfathomable," said Gabe Banks, one of the attorneys, who got the family a multi-million-dollar settlement in a wrongful death claim.
Banks reviewed hours of body cam footage. He says at least 16 minutes elapsed after Dorado was subdued.
The video showed that for all of that time, the officers did not get the suspect off of his stomach.
"He was motionless," Banks said.
Humberto Dorado, a brother, said the family wants an explanation from police. They also want to see the body camera footage.
An Atlanta police spokesperson said two officers are on administrative leave. A third officer resigned.