Washington, D.C
Family of man killed by DC police questions officer’s tactics
The family of a 25-year-old man who was shot and killed by a D.C. police officer last week is questioning the officer’s tactics and training after viewing the body camera video.
David Warren Childs, of Northeast D.C., was shot the night of Nov. 17 after police say he refused to obey the officer’s commands and appeared to reach for a firearm in his waistband. It happened near the Deanwood Metro station.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) says officers spotted Childs with a gun in his waistband and gave chase.
The body-worn camera video released by police this week doesn’t show the initial interaction. It begins in the middle of a foot pursuit that ended outside an apartment building on 47th Place NE.
It’s very hard to tell from the video, but the officer — who had Childs at gunpoint standing between a fence and the building — was without backup and alone for one minute and 23 seconds before the officer opened fire.
The video shows the moment the officer cornered Childs and said, “I’m gonna shoot you.”
“Why wasn’t the matter de-escalated?” Childs’ cousin Da’jon Mason asked. “If it’s the law enforcement’s job to de-escalate matters, why wasn’t the situation de-escalated? If you had 10 to 15 officers out here, why was there no other officer present to assist in the matter to de-escalate the situation? Why did you continue to escalate the situation, threatening to continuously shoot someone when they are telling you, ‘Don’t shoot me’?”
As soon as Childs was cornered near the fence line, the officer apparently got on the radio and said, “One at gunpoint” and “behind the building.”
“The officer used great restraint, gave multiple commands, multiple commands asking the subject to please, to raise his hands and not to reach for the firearm, and for some reason the subject did not obey those commands and reached for his firearm,” Executive Assistant Police Chief Andre Wright said.
It’s difficult to see on the video, but police say Childs moved his left hand toward his waistband and that’s when the officer opened fire.
After the shooting, other officers arrived and began to render first aid to Childs.
Police say this is the weapon Childs had in his waistband.
“The point where he was saying, ‘You know what, OK, if this is how it’s going to go, then do it,’ when we are the same amount of distance that we are now in this conversation, you could have taken him down,” Mason said. “You didn’t have to keep the gun pointed at him. You could have holstered your weapon and proceeded to take him down. You could have tased him. You could have used OC [pepper] spray.”
D.C. police declined to comment on the family’s concerns and referred News4 to the statement the police department made when the body camera video was released.
MPD said in a Nov. 18 news release in part: “The involved members have been placed on administrative leave, pursuant to MPD policy.”
The Internal Affairs Bureau’s Force Investigations Team is investigating the shooting, according to MPD.
“The United States Attorney’s Office will independently review the facts and evidence in the case,” MPD said.
WASHINGTON (7News) — A man was stabbed to death in Northwest D.C. early Saturday morning, according to D.C. police.
SEE ALSO | Police shoot knife-wielding individual at Fairfax Wawa
Officers responded to the 2900 block of 14th Street NW shortly before 1:00 a.m., where the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
SEE ALSO | Teen hospitalized following Friday night shooting in northeast D.C.
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact the police at (202) 727-9099 or text a tip to 50411.
Additional details were not immediately available.
4 things to know about the weather:
- Beneficial rain
- Muggy, warm temperatures to start the weekend
- Scattered afternoon showers & a few storms again Saturday
- Drier and nice for Sunday
There’s a 40% chance of showers and a few storms in the afternoon and evening Saturday.
Sunday looks like it will bring the best weather of the weekend. We’ll start to see some cooler, drier air come in.
Big-time heat may be coming right back to the D.C. area by Wednesday of next week.
Weather radar
Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.
10-day forecast
QuickCast
SATURDAY:
Partly sunny
Muggy
Scattered showers & storms (40% chance)
Highs: middle 80s
SUNDAY:
Decreasing clouds
Lower humidity
Highs: mid 80s
MONDAY:
Mostly sunny
Highs: upper 80s
SUNSET: 8:35 p.m.
AVERAGE HIGH: 89° // AVERAGE low: 72°
Stay with Storm Team4 for the latest forecast. Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to get severe weather alerts on your phone.
Washington, D.C., has been a popular spot this summer, especially since it’s the nation’s 250th anniversary. And it’s where many Grand Canyon University students have traveled, including the campus’s student body leaders.
Associated Students of GCU President Judah Floyd and Vice President Gracie Zimbardi traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in the Campus Victory Forum conference and celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary of signing the Declaration of Independence.
“It was a humbling opportunity to be able to represent GCU and be poured into by so many admirable Christian leaders,” Floyd said. “It reminds me of the leader I want to be as a Christ follower and as someone who’s been put in a position to have influence on the students of GCU.”
The three-day conference was organized by Campus Victory, an organization empowering collegiate leaders to step into civic engagement. It featured workshops, sessions and activities that equipped students with practical tools to step into their leadership roles.
Roughly 250 student leaders from universities all around the country traveled to the nation’s capital for the conference, where they met and heard from politicians and community leaders, including U.S. Rep. Eli Crane of Arizona.
He addressed the young crowd with a personal testimony about his experience in public leadership and gave an empowering message from 1 Timothy 4:12, which reads, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”
He encouraged students to boldly press on in their positions despite their young age.
Sharing a home state with Crane was made extra special to Floyd and Zimbardi when Crane invited all Arizona students backstage to meet and have conversations with him.
“He was phenomenal,” Zimbardi said. “He talked about how being firm in our faith is so important in this time, and though we are young leaders, we do have the knowledge, experience and people to look up to, so use it. It was so inspiring to hear from him.”
When sessions concluded, students explored significant landmarks, including memorials, museums, and federal and local government buildings.
Everything was decked out in red, white and blue, with flags and banners hanging everywhere to commemorate the milestone anniversary.
Celebratory events unfolded one after another on Independence Day, finishing with the largest fireworks show in history. Some 850,000 pyrotechnic effects were detonated over 40 minutes, with thousands gathered for the once-in-a-lifetime event.
Floyd waited five hours in line to attend Salute to America 250, which concluded yearlong celebratory festivities. The six-hour event on the National Mall featured presidential remarks, musical performances and military flyovers.
“President Donald Trump talked about how America is really a land of people of faith and people who overcome challenges time after time,” Floyd said. “It really rekindled in us the spirit of liberty that we all carry as Americans and the importance of defending that liberty for generations to come.”
Military veterans were brought onstage and honored for their commitment to serving the country. Flags from every generation of America were displayed, and singer Lee Greenwood led the crowd in singing “God Bless the U.S.A.”
The World Cup was happening at the same time. While Floyd and Zimbardi were in Washington, D.C., they witnessed another level of patriotism when a Team USA vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina watch party, complete with a projector screen, was organized in front of the U.S. Congress.
“Thousands of people all wearing U.S.A. jerseys were shouting and screaming and spraying water in the sky when we scored a goal. It was deafening,” Floyd said.
As the start of academic year approaches, Floyd and Zimbardi’s tenure as student body president and vice president will soon commence.
The duo said that participating in the Campus Victory Forum conference, networking with student body presidents and vice presidents from other universities, and witnessing everyone’s patriotism prepared them to lead with passion and boldness.
“It means a lot to me that someone in this organization thought of us, GCU, and said, ‘We need them there.’ Zimbardi said. “It was really unique hearing from other students about how they do things at other universities.
“We got to sit down and spitball back and forth. We talked about things like, ‘Wow, that’s what works for you? We are struggling in that area, do you mind if we try it?’ Having conversations like that is extremely helpful, and it is cool how unified we can all become.”
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Related content:
GCU News: Ingram Honors students visit nation’s capital in honor of its 250th anniversary
GCU News: Critical Mass in harmony with national jubilee of prayer in Washington, D.C.
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