Wagswoofs – The District of Columbia, along with the officers responsible for the wrongful death of a D.C. Library Police officer, are facing a civil lawsuit.
On August 4, 2022, Maurica Manyan lost her life during a training exercise at the Anacostia Library. As a result, a lawsuit was filed by her parents on her behalf. She was only 25 years old at the time of her tragic death.
The officer’s untimely death has sparked a lawsuit seeking damages for wrongful death, negligence, gross negligence, and constitutional violations. The lawsuit aims to hold accountable those responsible for her tragic shooting.
During a baton training session led by retired Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Lt. Jesse Porter, Manyan, along with a group of other officers, was posing for a picture when Porter accidentally fired his gun, causing her death. The incident resulted in Porter being charged and later found guilty of involuntary manslaughter while armed.
As per the news release, the lawsuit claims that the District had prior knowledge of the potential risks to police officer trainees during training sessions where trainers were armed with live and loaded guns. Despite the recent examples of such dangers being well-publicized, the District continued to conduct these trainings, which ultimately led to the tragic death of the officer.
According to the lawsuit, Anthony Mickens, who was the primary D.C. Special Police Officer present at the scene, and Byron Purnell, an active MPD sergeant and co-trainer with Porter, had taken an oath to enforce the laws of D.C.
According to Manyan’s family, Mickens and Purnell are at fault for allowing Porter to enter and remain in the library with a loaded, unconcealed gun for over four hours. The family claims that it is a common practice for them to permit “sworn members and formerly sworn members of local agencies” to enter buildings while carrying firearms illegally.
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