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, D.C
Storm Team4 forecast, Enjoy a pleasant start to the week with temperatures in the 70s
4 things to know about the weather:
- “May” not “March” for now
- Next rain late Wednesday, Thursday
- Back to average by Friday
- Much colder next Week
The warmer weather we’ve waited months for will be with us for only three more days before the March Lion starts to roar again.
Monday and Tuesday will be the best days of the week by far. Sunny skies and temperatures running 20-25° above average. Plan for highs reaching the low 70s Monday and near 80° on Tuesday.
A series of cold fronts later in the week will send temperatures back to average 54° by the end of the week and then well below average for most of next week.
Clouds will return by Wednesday morning and rain chances will arrive no later than sunset. Wednesday will still be close to 80° and have our first taste of humidity in a while. Rain is likely from Wednesday evening through noon on Thursday as our first cold front arrives.
Thursday’s highs, likely near 70°, will occur before sunrise but gusty northwest winds will have temperatures falling steadily throughout the day. Expect temperatures in the 50s, rain for the morning commute and 40s with rain ending for the ride home.
Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.
Warm streak won’t last long
The good news is that Friday and the upcoming weekend look dry. Highs will be back in the mid-50s for Friday and Saturday but Sunday should get back into the mid-60s.
Another cold front will arrive early next week leading to temperatures running 10-15° below average. It’s also not entirely out of the question that there could be a wet snowflake or two on St. Patrick’s Day.
The return of the cold air next week will keep the cherry trees at bay so the odds of peak bloom occurring in March, like it has the last five to six years in a row, are looking slim at best.
QuickCast
MONDAY:
Mostly Sunny
Nice And Warm
Light Breeze
Wind: Southwest 5-10 mph
Chance of Rain: 0%
HIGHS: 68° to 74°
MONDAY NIGHT:
Clear Skies
Remaining Mild
Patchy Areas Of Fog
Wind: Variable 5 mph
Chance Of Rain: 0%
LOWS: 46° to 52°
TUESDAY:
Mostly Sunny
Near Record Warmth
Light Breeze
Wind: Southwest 5-10 mph
Chance of Rain: 0%
HIGHS: 76° to 82°
WEDNESDAY:
Breezy, Warm And Humid
Increasing Clouds
Showers By Evening
Wind: Southwest 10-25mph
Chance of Rain: 40%
HIGHS: 75° to 80°
THURSDAY:
Cloudy, Windy, Much Colder
Rain Likely Before 2pm
Falling Temperatures
Wind: Northwest 20-35 mph
Chance of Rain: 80%
HIGHS: 65° to 45°
Sunrise: 7:29 Sunset: 7:09
Average High: 54° Average Low: 37°
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.
4 things to know about the weather:
- Feeling more like spring and summer over the next 72 hours.
- Monday and Tuesday will feature plenty of sunshine.
- Almost humid and definitely warm with strong storms possible on Wednesday.
- Rain with falling temperatures and windchill in the low 40s on Thursday.
Happy daylight saving! Today was this year’s first sunset after 7 p.m. — 7:08 p.m. to be exact.
For the rest of the evening, expect clear skies, although there could be an isolated shower, especially south and east of the D.C. area.
Monday will be a beautiful day with temperatures in the upper 60s and lower 70s with plenty of sunshine.
Tuesday will get to around 80°. That could break a record of 79° sit back in 2016. Expect sunshine and dry conditions
By Wednesday, there is a possibility for severe storms in the afternoon and evening, but temperatures will once again approach 80°. Heavy rain and winds are the main thing to watch out for.
A pretty strong cold front will push through the area Thursday morning. That will bring some steady moderate rain to our area on Thursday. Temperatures will only be in the 50s, but the average high temperature for this time of year is also in the 50s, so this is actually closer to normal.
Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.
QuickCast
SUNDAY NIGHT
Mostly clear skies
Temps: 60s and 50s
MONDAY
Sunny
HIGHS: Lower 70s
TUESDAY
Partly Sunny
HIGHS: Near 80°
WEDNESDAY
Afternoon and evening storms
HIGHS: Near 80°
THURSDAY
HIGHS: Near 50°
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.
Four years ago, high school senior Aaron O’Brien wouldn’t believe he’d be studying chemistry now. Thanks to the Upward Bound program, that’s not hard to believe anymore.
“Before I came into the program, whew I don’t know who that man was,” O’Brien said.
Through free tutoring, test prep and college visits weekly, Upward Bound has helped millions of students like O’Brien, who attends McKinley Tech High School, pursue higher education.
The program is coordinated by colleges like George Washington University.
“The program has really expanded my vision for the future,” O’Brien said.
He joined Upward Bound as a freshman in high school.
“I never imagined I would be in these spaces and be able to network with so many different people,” he said.
“Upward Bound is basically a family,” said Layla Leiva, a senior at DC International School.
“A lot of us are first generation or low income. My parents do not know what the common app is, or standardized testing, and being able to have students that I can relate to meant the world for me,” she said.
Upward Bound falls under a series of federal TRIO programs funded by the Department of Education. Several programs in the series help veterans, students with disabilities, limited English and those facing foster care and homelessness.
Amid the Trump administration’s overhaul of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (D.E.I.), however, TRIO program funding was slashed because words related to the inclusionary policies were mentioned in its grant applications.
Last fall, a group that advocates for TRIO sued the Department for over $40 million in slashed grants.
Last June, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon testified at a Senate budget hearing, saying that TRIO didn’t give her apartment enough oversight.
“I just think that we aren’t able to see the effectiveness across the board that we would normally look to see with our federal spending,” McMahon said at the hearing.
When funding froze, George Washington University paused most of its programing and cut nearly all its staff.
“It was a staff of just me, I was still working with my seniors,” said George Washington’s Upward Bound director, Darrell Thornton.
After growing up in a similar program, Thornton says he wanted to give back.
“I knew I wanted to be that educator that made a difference,” he said.
Earlier this year, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s cuts, restoring funding for the program.
“It kind of felt like I was cut off from my family for a little bit. When we got back, it was like thank God,” Kevin Williams, a junior at Ron Brown Preparatory College High School said.
The university was also able to bring its staff back.
“I’m so relieved to find out this program finally has funding and that this program will continue to support students in the way that it did for me,” Leiva said.
News4 reached out to the Department of Education, but have not heard back.
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