Michael Rowland
Michael Rowland was 63 when he died in April 2022, and organizer Aretha Basu described him as disabled and unhoused. He was in a mental health crisis when he was arrested at a downtown Seattle hotel, and the family says police restrained him face-down. Officers at the King County Correctional Facility found him unresponsive minutes after he was placed in a holding cell, and he was taken to Harborview Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead on April 19. His family sued King County, alleging jail officials failed to respond to obvious injuries; a federal judge dismissed that claim, and an amended complaint is pending. Basu says jail guards used a restraint on him and that he was killed, while the King County Medical Examiner's Office is still reviewing the cause and manner of death.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (disputed; neglect alleged). Community organizer Aretha Basu says jail guards restrained him and killed him, while his family's lawsuit alleges jail officials failed to respond to obvious injuries after he was restrained, and the medical examiner has not yet ruled on the cause.
Reported by: his family's lawsuit (family or their lawyers); Aretha Basu, community organizer (advocates).
Lawsuit: His family sued King County in a wrongful death lawsuit over his death at the King County Correctional Facility, and a federal judge dismissed the claim while an amended complaint is pending.