Family of slain officer Maurica Manyan to sue DC over deadly training session shooting
WASHINGTON (7News) — 7News has learned that the family of Maurica Manyan, a special police officer who was shot and killed by a former D.C. Police officer during a training session, will be filing a lawsuit against the District.
On August 4, 2022, 25-year-old mother and Special Police Officer Maurica Manyan attended a training session conducted by former cop Jesse Porter at the Anacostia Library in D.C. Shortly after 3:30 p.m., officers responded to the scene for a reported shooting and located Manyan unconscious and with a gunshot wound. An investigation determined that for whatever reason, Porter pulled a handgun during the session and shot Manyan.
Latoya Francis-Williams, an attorney representing the Manyan family, said the lawsuit came about following the confirmation that Porter killed Manyan in his capacity as an agent with the District of Columbia.
Francis-Williams went on to explain that the suit is an effort to hold the city accountable for the incident and to get recompense for the family.
7News obtained surveillance video from the deadly shooting.
In the video, you can see Manyan circled in green, posing for a photo with a group that includes Jesse Porter, circled in blue. Just seconds after the photo is taken, Porter suddenly pulls his gun from his holster and a shot goes off, hitting Manyan.
According to witnesses, Porter pulled the gun as a joke. After shooting Manyan, Porter appears visibly distraught. He's later seen with another person trying to perform CPR on Manyan.
Chelsea Lewis, a lawyer representing the Manyan family shared the following response with 7News regarding the video:
"Watching Officer Maurica fight for her life on the floor of the Anacostia Neighborhood Library with her killer towering over her in her final moments was nothing short of heartbreaking. The District of Columbia bears a heavy responsibility for allowing such a tragedy to occur in a public library against one of their own public servants. We are calling for an investigation into the multiple suspected policy violations we observed on the surveillance footage which included allowing Porter to enter the library with a loaded gun and permitting him to remain, just feet from where Officer Manyan was gunned down – uncuffed and armed with the weapon that killed her, surrounded by his former MPD colleagues. Our community deserves better protection and oversight from its governing bodies. The Manyan Family is committed to making sure the public is granted access to the surveillance footage because the events that led to the death of Officer Manyan are a matter of grave public concern."
Along with the lawsuit, Manyan's family is also calling for an investigation into possible policy violations made by Porter. 7News spoke to Mayor Muriel Bowser Wednesday morning regarding the lawsuit.
"It's a tragic situation. There's really nothing more to say about it," Bowser said. "It's a very unfortunate accident."
On August 25, Porter was sentenced to three years in prison for the shooting and gets credit for the time he already served. After the sentencing, Manyan's family and representation described their disgust with the ruling. Lewis called it a "far too lenient sentence."
"The family is extremely disappointed with the sentence that was imposed today," Lewis said. "It is not only a slap in the face but it seemed as if the court completely disregarded the family's heartfelt pleas for justice."
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