Portland faces $2M wrongful death suit after alleged killer's release before attack
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The City of Portland is facing a $2 million wrongful death lawsuit after a man was stabbed to death in Old Town two days after the alleged killer assaulted a woman, whose case was not "adequately" investigated, court documents claim.
The lawsuit -- filed July 26, 2024, by the estate of Mark Anthony Davis -- alleges that the inadequate assault investigation led the alleged killer to remain on the streets before the fatal stabbing, as first reported by The Oregonian.
According to the complaint, now 22-year-old Kalil Ford allegedly assaulted a woman in Portland on Sept. 28, 2022.
The lawsuit claims Portland police investigated the crime but did not collect "immediately available" video evidence of the assault and “did not document in the police report the extent of the assault,” or the extent of the woman’s injuries.
The “vicious, brutal, unprovoked” attack against the woman warranted charges for a violent felony had the officer “adequately documented it,” the lawsuit said.
According to the complaint, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office charged Ford with a misdemeanor assault charge for that attack, noting he was released without supervision back into the community.
Two days after the assault, Ford allegedly stabbed Davis to death, according to court documents.
The night of the stabbing, officers responded to Northwest Broadway and Northwest Couch Street just after 8:30 p.m. and found 53-year-old Davis critically injured. Paramedics said he died at the scene.
"Mark Davis is dead because the Portland police officer investigating a criminal assault 48 hours earlier failed to secure video of the attack which was readily available. Lacking this evidence, the DA charged only a misdemeanor, and a violent and deranged man was let out of jail. We hope our case can enforce police accountability in a situation which cries out for accountability," said Greg Kafoury, an attorney representing the Davis estate.
Ford is facing a second-degree murder charge and an unlawful use of a weapon charge for Davis' death. The trial is scheduled to begin in January 2025.
The city declined to comment on the pending litigation.