A Washington, D.C., police officer was shot and killed when a gun he was trying to retrieve from a storm drain Wednesday went off, authorities said.
Investigator Wayne David, a resident of Washington, was a member of the Metropolitan Police Department for over 25 years and a part of the Violent Crimes Suppression Division since 2007.
“There are few words to express the hurt and pain that Officer David’s family and the entire MPD is feeling right now," Police Chief Pamela Smith said in a statement Wednesday. "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."
At a news conference Wednesday evening, Executive Assistant Chief Jeff Carroll described the incident.
At about 5:40 p.m. Wednesday, officers were patrolling an area on the outskirts of Northeast Washington when they spotted someone leaving a "suspicious vehicle."
When officers tried to contact the person, he fled and jumped from a wall onto Interstate 295. Police saw him place a firearm in a storm drain before he fled on the back of a motorcycle. It was unclear whether he knew the person driving the motorcycle, Carroll said.
When David went to retrieve the firearm from the drain, it went off and struck him in the "upper body area," police said. A helicopter took him to a nearby hospital, where he died later in the evening.
David had a son, a daughter and a girlfriend, Carroll said at a second news conference. He called David a "true hero to the District of Columbia."
"He served with passion and honor and had the utmost respect of his peers," she added in her statement. "I will be forever grateful for Investigator David's service to the Metropolitan Police Department, and his life will never be forgotten."
In a release and on social media, police asked the public for help identifying the person who placed the gun in the drain and fled, who was recorded by security cameras.
No information about arrests has been made public. Police did not immediately respond to a request for updates.
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, 93 law enforcement officers across the country, including David, have died in the line of duty so far this year, the majority as results of gunfire.
