The family of Leon Davis, a 27-year-old Federal Way man, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit after Davis died in March at St. Francis Hospital. The lawsuit claims Federal Way police and hospital staff failed to follow their training and did not recognize warning signs of immediate medical distress while Davis was restrained face down in a hospital hallway. Attorneys for the Davis family released body-camera video of the incident on Tuesday, stating, “The truth is on the video.”
Davis had been admitted to the hospital for two days due to symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. The incident began when he attempted to leave the facility and became involved in a struggle with hospital staff. Federal Way police were called to the scene and found Davis being restrained by security personnel in a hallway, with medical staff present.
The body-camera footage shows officers handcuffing Davis with three sets of handcuffs behind his back while he remained in a face-down position. During the initial minutes of the interaction, officers were seen communicating with both Davis and medical staff. The video indicates Davis visibly struggled with officers before appearing to become still and conversing with them. An officer was heard asking Davis to relax and confirming his understanding. Officers also questioned medical staff about the situation, asking if sedation was being administered to calm him.
Davis could be heard grunting and breathing heavily at various points in the video. Approximately 14 minutes into the recording, a female officer informed Davis he was under arrest, stating that further resistance would lead to additional charges. The officer also told Davis, “Keep breathing. You’ve got to earn our trust, bud.”
Around 18 minutes into the video, an officer coached Davis to breathe, suggesting he turn his head to the side, while Davis continued to grunt. At the 20-minute mark, hospital staff administered an injection to Davis, with a medical team member indicating it would take five to ten minutes for the medication to take effect. During this time, Davis remained in the same face-down position with his hands restrained behind his back.
It was not until the 26-minute mark of the body-camera video that Davis was first rolled onto his side. Blood was visible on his face, and his hands remained cuffed. An officer noted that Davis “got really quiet” and then expressed uncertainty about his breathing. As officers grew concerned, they repositioned Davis onto his side and removed his handcuffs, at which point medical staff initiated CPR. The video captured some of the exchanges among the medical staff as they attempted resuscitation for at least 45 minutes.
Davis died at the hospital. A medical examiner subsequently ruled the manner of death a homicide, citing the cause as cardiac arrest due to prolonged prone restraint amidst alcohol withdrawal. Following Davis's death, Federal Way officers reportedly moved to a separate room and coordinated their departure from the hospital to avoid Davis’s family, who had arrived on scene.
Roger Rogoff, an attorney representing the Davis family, stated that poor communication and alleged failures by both police and hospital to follow policy placed Davis in a dangerous situation. Rogoff expressed concerns about the specific medications given to Davis, his treatment, and whether the hospital adhered to its policies regarding patients attempting to leave. Shannice Johnson, Davis’s sister, spoke at a news conference, supporting the release of the video. Johnson described the footage as showing “negligence from the medical side, the police side, and the brutality he endured,” stating that “nobody deserves to be treated that way.”
The Valley Independent Investigative Team (VIIT) reviewed Davis’s death and referred the case to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for review. Prosecutors have requested training documents from Federal Way police, and additional investigation may be necessary before a decision is made regarding potential criminal charges. Federal Way police confirmed that all officers involved in the incident are still employed by the department and have returned to duty. A spokesperson for Virginia Mason Franciscan Health stated that the organization cannot comment on ongoing legal matters or specific patient details due to privacy concerns, adding that patient and team member safety is their highest priority.
