The report says Davis was admitted for treatment and was “initially cooperative and oriented”.
Family members of a 27-year-old man who died while being restrained by police inside St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way earlier this year say they are being kept in the dark about exactly what happened.
On March 12, Leon Davis told his family he was checking into the hospital because his heart was racing and he was sweating profusely. Two days later, he died during a struggle with hospital staff and police.
“It’s unbelievable the guy checked into the hospital to get help and was killed,” said Sim Osborn, an attorney representing Davis’ family. “It’s now been 142 days since Leon died on the floor of the hospital with 5 people holding him down. The family wants to know what happened; the family wants to know how could this happen?”
In late June, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office released its findings in the case, ruling Davis’ death a homicide caused by “cardiac arrest, prolonged restraint in a prone position in the setting of alcohol withdrawal syndrome.”
The case is currently being investigated by the Valley Independent Investigation Team (VIIT), which handles cases of use of deadly force by police in south King County.
According to VIIT, Federal Way police were called to the hospital around 11:30 a.m. on March 14 for a report of a patient assaulting hospital staff.
“Officers arrived and found the individual already on the ground but continuing to struggle with security personnel,” a statement from Federal Way police says. “Officers restrained the individual and placed them in handcuffs. Shortly after being detained, the individual experienced a medical emergency. Medical treatment was immediately provided; however, the individual later died at the hospital.”
Staff from the King County Medical Examiner’s Office reviewed body camera video, witness statements, and hospital records to help determine the cause and manner of death. The autopsy report, provided to KOMO News by attorneys for the Davis family, notes Davis was admitted to the hospital on March 12 complaining of dizziness. He was diagnosed with alcohol withdrawal syndrome.
The report says Davis was admitted for treatment and was “initially cooperative and oriented”.
On March 14th, the medical examiner’s report says Davis became confused and agitated.
- 11:30 a.m. Hospital security puts Davis in a physical hold
- 11:39 a.m. Federal Way police arrive at the hospital. Body camera video shows Davis is restrained on the floor in a prone position by members of hospital security
- 11:41 a.m. Police handcuff Davis
- 12:04 p.m. Davis is rolled onto his back
The autopsy report says when Davis was turned on his back, he appeared unresponsive and officers noted he had no pulse and was not breathing. The autopsy found he had injuries consistent with being restrained in a prone position, and chronic pancreatitis from alcohol use disorder. The autopsy report noted obesity as a contributing condition.
“It just seemed like it was torture to me that he had to go through that for so long,” said Shannice Johnson, the older sister of Davis. “My family, there are so many unanswered questions; we just want to see some type of accountability for what happened to him.”
RELATED | AP Investigation of lethal restraint
Johnson added that the family is frustrated because they have not been able to see videos of exactly what happened to her brother.
“This is where they are supposed to help you, save you,” she said. “That’s what he went there for; he went for help. He leaves the hospital gone. It’s been extremely traumatic for our family.”
Law enforcement have been warned for decades about the dangers of keeping suspects in the prone position. In 2024, the Police Executive Research Forum released a report on the dangers of prone restraint.
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“I think everyone failed here," Osborn said. “The family just wants a transparent investigation. They want to know what happened and they are being stonewalled. I think the family should be told exactly what happened; I think the family should be shown exactly what happened.”
According to Federal Way police, all officers involved in the incident have returned to work. A VIIT spokesperson said the standard protocol is not to release video of in-custody deaths until the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office reviews the case and makes a decision on filing criminal charges.
The spokesperson noted the only exception to that protocol is if the chief of police of the agency involved requests the footage to be released due to "urgent public interest", and the prosecutor agrees.
