The family of Leon Davis has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in King County Superior Court against the City of Federal Way, the Federal Way Police Department, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, and other entities. The suit alleges that Davis, 27, died at St. Francis Hospital on March 14, 2026, after police officers and hospital staff pinned him face down and handcuffed him on a hallway floor for at least 25 minutes, even after he "said he could not breathe." The King County Medical Examiner has ruled Davis’s death a homicide.
The 22-page complaint names additional defendants including Police Chief Andrew Hwang, CommonSpirit Health, CommonSpirit Washington, and Saint Francis Community Hospital. It cites claims for wrongful death, negligence, battery, unlawful imprisonment, and medical malpractice, seeking damages to be proven at trial.
According to the lawsuit, Davis admitted himself to St. Francis Hospital on March 12, 2026, seeking help for a medical condition. He was treated with medications that, his attorneys state, left him confused, dizzy, and paranoid. Two days later, when he attempted to leave the hospital, security staff reportedly tackled, beat, and physically held him down.
Simeon Osborn, an attorney representing Davis’s family, stated that when Federal Way police officers arrived, they joined in holding Davis down, pinning him face down for at least 25 minutes. Osborn emphasized that Davis pleaded with officers to be allowed up as he struggled to breathe. Osborn noted that Davis died on a hospital floor yards away from a unit where doctors and nurses are trained for such emergencies. Roger Rogoff, another family attorney, criticized both the Federal Way Police Department and hospital staff for allegedly failing to follow proper training.
The complaint further alleges that Federal Way police officers did not inquire about the effects of Davis’s medications or his diagnosis upon their arrival. Instead, they reportedly ignored his pleas and placed an ill-fitting spit hood over his face, which the family's attorneys contend further compromised his ability to breathe. Body-camera footage obtained by the family reportedly shows Davis’s mouth and nose were so bloodied that a puddle had formed on the floor before the hood was applied.
Davis’s lawyers note that the state attorney general’s model use-of-force policy advises against using hoods “where the restrained person is bleeding profusely from the area around the mouth or nose.” They claim the Federal Way use-of-force policy asserts consistency with this state model. Rogoff stated that the defendants “violated their medical training, police training, use-of-force training, agency policies, and simple common sense” by pinning an “overweight, exhausted, sedated, handcuffed, and bleeding man, face down, to the ground for nearly a half-hour.”
The lawsuit also highlights the Federal Way Police Department's refusal to release the body-worn camera footage. Attorneys for the family described the department's stated reasons for withholding the footage as neither legally nor logically sound. The Davis family has since released the unredacted 1 1/2-hour body-worn police footage to news outlets on October 27, 2026.
Shannice Johnson, Leon Davis’s sister, shared her reaction to the video, stating she “cried for hours” upon seeing it. She expressed her belief that no one should have to witness a loved one slowly die while medical professionals stand by. Johnson emphasized the family’s intention for the public to see how her brother was treated.
Leon Davis, a 27-year-old, was a graduate of Kent Meridian High School and had enrolled at Green River College, where he pursued music studies. According to his family's attorneys, he had no prior history of legal trouble.
Attorneys also noted that some municipalities have policies to quickly release police video, promoting transparency. Osborn commented that “there is no plausible reason for the police or prosecutors to deny the public access to these videos for more than seven months,” adding that “withholding the video doesn’t change what happened to Leon. It just breeds distrust.”
The lawsuit's cause/case number is No. 26-2-35189-9 KNT.
