‘Tragic accident:’ DC police officer dies in accidental shooting

EDITOR’S NOTE: In a press conference just after 10 p.m., MPD Executive Assistant Chief Jeffery Carroll said the officer passed away from his injuries.

WASHINGTON ( DC News Now ) — A D.C. police officer died after accidentally shooting himself near Interstate 295 on Wednesday, officials confirmed.

In a post just before 6:10 p.m., the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said that officers were on the scene of a “critical incident” near I-295 and Eastern Avenue.

At the time, MPD said that an officer was taken to a hospital with a gunshot wound.

In an update made shortly before 8 p.m., police said they were trying to stop a suspicious person in the 4500 block of Coral Street NE when their car stopped and someone got out.

The person ran and jumped onto I-295 S. Officers said they saw him put a gun inside a storm drain.

They tried to stop him, but he escaped on the back of a motorcycle.

A short time later, more officers responded to recover the gun from the storm drain. When one officer grabbed the gun, it went off, and he accidentally shot himself in his upper body.

Other officers at the scene gave him first aid before he was taken to a hospital for treatment. That officer, Wayne David, was on the force for over 25 years and on the violent crime suppression team for more than 15 years.

In a post shared on X , DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said, in part, “While preliminary information indicates that the gunshot was the result of a tragic accident, this is a horrible reminder of the dangers our officers face every day. We are grateful for their service.”

In an update made shortly after 10 p.m., MPD Executive Assistant Chief Jeffery Carroll said Investigator Wayne David died from his injuries at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.

“Wayne is a true hero to the District of Columbia – today he gave his life to serve the visitors and the residents…and we’ll never forget that,” Carroll said. “This is considered a line-of-duty death.”

He said that they would give David his proper honors.

For a few hours after the incident, lanes in both directions on I-295 were closed. They were still searching for the suspect who fled.

A photo of the suspect can be seen below:

Police said that the investigation into the incident was ongoing. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said they were on the scene to assist with the investigation.

Anyone with information or who can identify the suspect is asked to call police at (202) 727-9099 or text MPD at 50411.

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