A harrowing encounter at a Walmart in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, has led to a significant legal battle involving allegations of police misconduct and violations of civil rights. On December 18, 2025, Jeffrey M. Davis Jr. filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin against the City of Sun Prairie and several individuals, including Sgt. Jason Lingle. The lawsuit accuses the defendants of excessive force and evidence tampering following an incident where Davis, experiencing a mental health crisis, was allegedly threatened with deadly force by police.
The events unfolded on November 1, 2025, when Davis was confronted by Sgt. Lingle at a Walmart in Sun Prairie while experiencing an acute psychiatric crisis. Despite being compliant with his hands on the wall, Davis alleges that Sgt. Lingle pointed a firearm at him and threatened to shoot him, exacerbating his mental health condition. This encounter reportedly led to severe psychiatric deterioration for Davis, resulting in multiple suicide attempts and hospitalizations within days of the incident.
Davis further claims that after he requested public records related to the incident, Sun Prairie personnel produced a body-worn camera recording that had been materially altered to remove audio capturing Sgt. Lingle’s threat while leaving admissions acknowledging it intact. This alleged tampering is seen as an effort to obstruct accountability and impair Davis’s ability to vindicate his constitutional rights.
The complaint asserts that these actions violate federal civil rights under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. It argues that reasonable modifications should have been made during the police encounter due to Davis’s known psychiatric disability but were not implemented.
Davis seeks declaratory relief affirming that his rights were violated under federal law and compensatory damages for emotional distress and psychological trauma suffered as a result of the incident. Additionally, he requests punitive damages against individual defendants for their reckless indifference to federally protected rights.
Representing himself pro se in this case is Jeffrey M. Davis Jr., who has also called for injunctive relief requiring changes in policies regarding encounters with suicidal individuals and evidence handling practices within the Sun Prairie Police Department.
The case is presided over by Judge James D. Peterson under Case ID: 3:25-cv-01037-jdp.
Source: 325cv01037_Davis_Jr_v_City_of_Sun_Prairie_Complaint_Western_District_Wisconsin.pdf
