Special police officer Maurica Manyan, a D.C. mother, was killed by a police lieutenant last year after a training session, and surveillance footage capturing the incident has finally been released to the public.
During the incident on Aug. 4, 2022, Manyan “was posing for a group photo at the end of a training session for her job inside a D.C. library when the trainer,” identified as Jesse Porter, “suddenly pulled out a gun and opened fire, killing her,” NBC reports.
The footage depicts Porter turning, pointing his gun toward the group, and firing the bullet that killed the 25-year-old. Porter then reacted frantically, grabbing his head and pacing, while the other officers on hand called for help and attempted to provide first aid. Later on in the video Porter and another individual are seen providing CPR to Manyan.
Manyan would be transported to the hospital, but she was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Chelsea Lewis, the attorney for the Manyan family, released the footage. “When I first saw the video, I was in shock,” she stated.
Another attorney for the Manyans, Latoya Francis-Williams, says the decision to make this video public was not made lightly, but that it was done to back their demands for changes in public safety. Francis-Williams stated, “It’s time to make a change and to actually enforce policies that put safety at the forefront.”
Manyan’s family wants policies that would prohibit the reckless handling of weapons at future trainings for officers.
Porter’s lawyer Brian McDaniel says that he thought it was his training gun and not his actual, loaded gun that was in his holster. “He did not have any criminal intent, that it was not his intent to cause any harm to her on that day. He’s acknowledged that what it is that he did was negligent. But it wasn’t criminal. but he also accepted responsibility, said McDaniel.
A court affidavit describes what led up to Porter drawing his gun was Manyan’s hair. Allegedly, she was target “of some playful jokes about her hair and said she wanted to take off her mask.” The document goes on to say that this was the moment Porter drew the gun from his holster and opened fire.
Porter was charged with involuntary manslaughter. In May 2023, Porter also received an indictment “on counts of second-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful discharge of a firearm,” Fox reported.
If Porter is found guilty of second-degree murder, he could potentially serve up to 24 years imprisoned.
As of now, Porter has only received a three-year prison sentence, which was handed down last month.