DC police officer accidentally shot while retrieving gun from sewer

A Washington, D.C., police officer died Wednesday after a gun accidentally fired and struck him in the head while attempting to rescue someone from a sewer, officials said.

Wayne David, a member of the Metropolitan Police Department for over 25 years, was on duty when he was struck by the accidental gunshot. He was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, the DC Police Union wrote on X.

“Wayne is a true hero for the District of Columbia and today he gave his life to serve the visitors and residents here,” Executive Assistant Chief Jeffery Carroll said during a press conference. “We will never forget this.”

According to Carroll, officers saw someone jump out of a suspicious vehicle Wednesday morning, throw a gun into a drain and then flee on the back of a motorcycle.

Police were trying to pull the gun out of the drain when a shot went off, hitting David at least once, Carroll said.

Police are searching for the suspect who placed the gun in the drain, he added.

Police released photos of the suspect, who was described as a man with long dreadlocks and was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and blue shorts.

“The impact of guns on our community is unbearable. It is difficult to accept that a man who came to protect our city will not return home,” DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement. “Tonight, I pray for Investigator David's family and loved ones, and I pray for the officers who put themselves in harm's way every day to protect DC.”

The police investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

According to WTOP, Caroll said David seized hundreds of guns throughout the city during his decades of service.

With post wires