Legal
D.C. police officer dies after accidentally shooting himself with suspect’s gun

A police officer in Washington, D.C. has died after accidentally shooting himself while picking up a suspect’s gun, local officials say. The unidentified suspect managed to escape and remains at large.
Officers from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Robbery Suppression Unit were canvassing an area on Quarles Street, Northeast at around 5:40 p.m. on Wednesday when they saw a suspect getting out of a car.
When officers attempted to make contact, the suspect fled and ran towards I-295 southbound, where he jumped from a retaining wall, police said. The suspect was then seen placing a firearm in a storm drain before fleeing the area on the back of a motorcycle.
“During the investigation, officers went to the storm drain in an attempt to recover the firearm,” D.C. police said in a statement. “While one of the officers was attempting to retrieve the firearm was evidence, the gun discharged, striking the officer.”
The police officer, who was later identified as Investigator Wayne David, was airlifted to an area hospital where he was later pronounced dead. The suspect, who has not been identified, remained at large on early Thursday morning.
“Our hearts are heavy tonight after the tragic loss of one of our own,” D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith said in a statement. “Investigator Wayne David, a veteran MPD officer, lost his life while serving in the line of duty. There are few words to express the hurt and pain that Officer David’s family and the entire MPD is feeling right now.”
Smith added: “Investigator David was the epitome of a great officer. He was a dedicated and highly respected member of the department, and this is a tremendous loss for all of us.”
David joined the Metropolitan Police Department in December 1998 after graduating from the Police Academy. He was initially assigned to the Third District but joined the Gun Recovery Unit in 2007. In 2021, he was assigned as an investigator with the Violent Crime Suppression Division.
“A DC native and a mentor to many officers, he helped get hundreds of guns off our streets, and just a few years ago he received the MPD Ribbon of Valor,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said. “Beyond being an officer, he was a good man – and a great dad – that many people loved and looked up to.”
Executive Assistant Chief Carroll provides a statement on the line of duty death of a Metropolitan Police Department member. pic.twitter.com/APwhMgMMMU
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) August 29, 2024

-
US News5 days ago
All 15 workers rescued after industrial tunnel collapse in Los Angeles
-
Legal1 week ago
3 killed, 9 injured in shooting in Philadelphia
-
World6 days ago
Series of earthquakes strike near Guatemala City, causing injuries and damage
-
US News6 days ago
Flash flood emergency declared in Ruidoso, New Mexico
-
US News4 days ago
Death toll reaches 121 in Texas floods; 161 still missing in Kerr County
-
Business6 days ago
Two men charged in $650 million OmegaPro cryptocurrency fraud scheme
-
Legal6 days ago
10 charged in armed assault on ICE detention center in Texas
-
Legal6 days ago
Man opens fire on police in Brownwood, Texas; 1 officer injured, suspect killed