Family of Diamond Ross wants officer who arrested her before she died to resign

When Ethelyn Ross learned her daughter Diamond had died in police custody August 2018, she submitted an open records request to find out what had happened.

It would be a year before she’d learn how Dallas officers treated her daughter in the last hours of her life. The videos prompted the family to find an attorney.

Members of the Ross family joined civil rights attorney Justin Moore in a news conference Friday to call for the firing of Sr. Cpl. Larry Moody and ask for a review of the department’s internal affairs investigation from the newly revamped Community Police Oversight Board.

“It is a gross cover-up from top to bottom. We are seeing officers be protected, and we are seeing a family being treated as less than human,” Moore said.

Protests are scheduled next week at Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax’s office and at Dallas police headquarters. In a statement Thursday, Mayor Eric Johnson called the police actions “unacceptable” and said he wants to hear from Chief U. Reneé Hall and city staff on a plan to prevent such tragedies.

According to internal affairs records, Moody and trainee William Ortega were investigated for their actions in the August 2018 arrest. Police officials first released some information related to the investigation Wednesday.

According to a police report, officers and an ambulance responded to a call in the 1400 block of Exeter Avenue, less than a mile from Ross’ home in southern Dallas around 5:40 a.m. on Aug. 18, 2018.

Police said Ross and her boyfriend had been arguing, and she had punched through an air conditioning unit to get his attention. Police said she was acting erratically and appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance. She was combative with officers and arrested. It took several officers to subdue and handcuff her, records show.

Dallas-Fire Rescue officials cleared Ross for transport to jail. Police put her in the back seat of a patrol car and headed to the city detention center, about 8 miles away, to book her on outstanding warrants. But once she got to the detention center, records show, she was found unresponsive. A different Dallas-Fire Rescue crew arrived and took her to Baylor University Medical Center. She was pronounced dead there shortly after 7 a.m. on Aug. 19.

Ortega resigned during the investigation, and Moody was issued a written reprimand.

The internal affairs unit found both officers provided “improper” transport to a prisoner and failed to provide medical treatment. The department completed the investigation last month, according to records.

The family says the inaction of the officers is the reason why Diamond died. Terrance Hopkins, president of the Black Police Association of Greater Dallas, called Ross’ death “unfortunate,” but said the autopsy ruled she died from an overdose.

“In this situation, the officers involved did nothing to cause the death of Ms. Ross,” Hopkins said in an interview Thursday.

Ethelyn Ross said she received little information from police in the last year. She said she didn’t learn more about her daughter’s death until police called her Wednesday and she saw the videos.

The family said the images of Ross’ lifeless body being dragged into jail disturbed them.

“It’s important for every citizen to follow this case,” Moore said. “I think this case can really touch upon a lot of issues that go on in DPD.”