'I don't want my sister to die in vain': Milwaukee homicide detective shares sister's story of domestic violence

As a homicide detective, Mike Washington has been to hundreds of crime scenes in Milwaukee.

Two years ago, he found himself on the other side of the yellow tape.

His sister, Sherida Davis, had been shot and killed by her husband, a Milwaukee police officer who then killed himself. The couple's two sons were home at the time. The oldest called 911 and performed CPR on his mother.

Washington thinks back, replaying what his sister told him about the arguments she had with her husband.

She did not tell him about physical violence but described mental and verbal abuse as the couple went through a contentious divorce. Once she mentioned that her husband had said something threatening about her brother. Washington laughed it off and didn't take it seriously.

"Don't overlook those situations," Washington said in an interview, after speaking to a packed room at the "Love Without Violence" conference.

The conference, sponsored by the city's Office of Violence Prevention, brought together domestic abuse survivors, advocates and organizations Friday at the UWM Zilber School of Public Health. 

“This issue impacts all of us," Milwaukee Health Commissioner Jeanette Kowalik said. "We see the intersection between all forms of violence."

Last year, 37 people were killed in Wisconsin in acts of domestic violence. A national study released earlier this year found intimate partner homicides, driven by gun homicides, are rising after decades of decline.

Washington said he never expected to face such loss in his own family.

"I need to share this story so that someone else who's in a similar situation can prevent the same outcome," he said.

"I don't want my sister to die in vain."

'Sherida's been shot'

The call came shortly after 2 p.m. March 11, 2017.

Washington's ex-wife, also a Milwaukee police officer, told him the department received a 911 call reporting gunfire at his sister's house.

Washington raced to the house on the city's northwest side. He saw his sister wheeled out on a gurney. He felt hope.

She must be alive, he thought.

The next thought: Where is he?

An officer at the scene recognized him and pulled him aside and said Leon Davis had shot himself.

Washington tried to reach his mother. She called him back about 10 minutes later. 

You need to get to the hospital, he remembered telling her. Sherida's been shot.

He was ready to drive to Froedtert Hospital himself when an officer stopped him. His nephews, ages 8 and 11, were home when the shooting happened. They were still being questioned by detectives.

Washington was stunned. The boys usually spent the weekend with their grandparents. As he waited at the scene, his fellow officers tried to keep him updated. His sister was alive and alert at the hospital, they said.

Forty-five minutes passed.

Then he saw a lieutenant walking over. His sister had been shot multiple times. She didn't make it.

"She just lost too much blood," Washington said.

Complicated dynamics of officer-involved domestic violence

After the murder-suicide, the Milwaukee Police Department came under scrutiny for how it handles officer-involved domestic violence.

Records showed Sherida had called 911 to report domestic violence at least once before. In the incident, Leon was not arrested because police determined there was no evidence of domestic violence. A related internal investigation deemed the allegation baseless.

Washington said he spoke to his sister the day after that 911 call. He asked if she was scared. She said yes. He told her to share her fear with officers.

"She didn't say that she was scared," Washington recalled in an interview. "She minimized what happened, so based on what she said, no action was taken."

"I think that she was maybe a little intimidated by the situation itself," Washington continued. "She knows what happens if it's an officer who gets in trouble, the scrutiny that comes with it."

It also could have led to her husband losing his job. Under federal law, a domestic violence conviction can bar anyone from owning guns and can prohibit officers from continuing to work as armed law enforcement.

Washington said the department has made changes in response to his sister's death.

"Since that happened, they have implemented more training regarding domestic violence especially when it's officer-involved," he said.

An 'eye-opening' experience for a homicide detective

Leon and Sherida Davis had filed for divorce in 2012 and again in late 2016, months before the shooting. Experts say in general, leaving an abusive relationship can be the most dangerous time because an abuser often tries to re-establish control.

Washington remembers his sister as a sweetheart, who was mischievous growing up and stubborn all her life.

"That was her one flaw," he said of her stubbornness. "I would tell her you need to leave this situation, you can't stay. She wanted to do things her way or the way she thought was best."

The situation was exacerbated by Leon's drinking problem, which grew worse after Leon's brother was shot and killed a couple years earlier, Washington said.

Medical examiner's reports quoted interviews with relatives that said Leon did have a problem with alcohol, with one person saying he was "out of control with his drinking."

Washington says his sister's death has changed his family and the way he does his job.

His family is closer than they used to be. Washington's daughter, Tatiana Washington, is a gun reform activist and led her high school's demonstration as part of the National School Walkout last year.

He called his experience on the other side of the yellow tape "eye-opening." After the shooting, he spoke with his bosses about it.

"We need to do our job, I understand that, but we also at the same time we need to be compassionate and empathetic," he said.

And another change? Speaking out about domestic violence. Washington began sharing his family's story publicly last year and said he will continue that work.

"It's not a race issue, it's not a gender issue, it's not about culture or socio-economics," he said. "It affects any and everybody."

Editor's note: An earlier version of this article included incorrect ages for Sherida Davis' sons. They were 8 and 11 at the time of the shooting.

RESOURCES

The Sojourner Family Peace Center in Milwaukee operates a 24-hour confidential hotline at (414) 933-2722. The Milwaukee Women's Center also offers a hotline at (414) 671-6140.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at (800) 799-7233. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. For a list of domestic violence resources in the Milwaukee area, click here.