In the early evening hours of February 23, 1911, a wave of armed robberies and burglaries had plagued the Broadway area of Seattle, prompting the police department to deploy plain-clothes patrols to apprehend the culprits. Officer Judson P. Davis, a 31-year-old White/Caucasian male, was assigned to one such patrol with his partner and close friend, Officer Herbert C. Smith.
The two officers, who were also roommates, began their foot patrol, hoping to put an end to the crime spree that had unsettled the neighborhood.
Shortly after 7:00 p.m., as they walked north on Boylston Avenue, they spotted two suspicious men ahead of them. Deciding to investigate, Davis and Smith quickened their pace, catching up to the individuals between Howell and Denny. When they were about eight feet away, Officer Davis ordered the men to stop and raise their hands. One of the suspects, later identified as John Ford, spun around, brandishing a semi-automatic pistol, and countered the officer's command with one of his own. As Officer Davis reached for his service revolver, Ford opened fire.
The ensuing moments descended into a grim exchange of gunfire. A shot from Ford's pistol struck Officer Davis in the leg, causing him to drop to one knee. Despite his injury, Davis returned fire, hitting Ford. The second suspect, Axel Nist, attempted to flee as Officer Smith pursued him, firing his own weapon. Though wounded and paralyzed from the waist down, Ford managed to continue shooting from where he lay in the street. A final, fatal bullet from Ford's gun struck Officer Davis, severing his spinal column and killing him almost instantly.
John Ford succumbed to his injuries in the hospital two days later, but not before giving a full confession and implicating Nist. Axel Nist, who had been wounded by Officer Smith, was discovered and apprehended an hour later after falling into a deep pit while trying to escape. Nist was subsequently tried and convicted of second-degree murder, receiving a sentence of 10 to 20 years in the Walla Walla Penitentiary. Judson P. Davis, a graduate of Syracuse University and a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, was remembered for his dedicated service. His funeral was attended by a large crowd of mourners, a testament to the impact of his loss on the community.
