The father of an autistic man who died after video showed him being wrestled to the ground by employees of a North Miami group home back in 2021 spoke Tuesday to demand changes to help protect people that are developmentally disabled.
Edward Ware, 36, was kill in the Dec. 21, 2021, incident at the Family Tree Concept Inc. group home on Northeast 138th Street in North Miami.
Disturbing surveillance video released by the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office showed the moment Ware, who was living with autism, was wrestled to the ground by three group home workers.
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Investigators say Ware became unresponsive during the course of the incident, stopped breathing, and was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Ware’s father, Edward Taylor, told NBC6 that he was on the phone with his son at the time of the incident.
“It was devastating. It was upsetting. But, hey, I’ve got to live with it,” Taylor said at the time.
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Investigators said three staff members improperly restrained Ware after he threatened to leave. The staff was provided by another company, Care Assist Home Care Inc.
Group home employees Katherine Hair, 34, Terrence Nelson, 24, and Derrick Coley, 21, are facing manslaughter charges in the incident.
Taylor and his attorneys spoke Tuesday about the wrongful death lawsuit they filed in the case and changes they'd like to see in Florida regarding laws to protect developmentally disabled people.
"I miss my son. I miss everything about him. I just want him back," Taylor said Tuesday. “I’m still hurting I still feel a void."
"These three have been prosecuted, they’ve been arrested and two of them stand trial coming up on December 4th for manslaughter charges. That’s not enough. There has to be regulations for these group homes," attorney Michael Haggard said.
NBC6 reached out to the group home and Care Assist Home Care Inc. for comments and was waiting to hear back.
