By Amanda Spence
WASHINGTON — An officer’s family came together outside of the library in D.C. where she was killed for a news conference just a day before her funeral.
D.C. special police officer Maurica Manyan, 25, was shot and killed during a baton training session that was being run by retired Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Jesse Porter at the Anacostia Library on August 4, ABC7 reported.
Manyan had gathered with the group of trainees to take a picture. Porter pulled his gun from his holster and shot Manyan in the chest. “I thought I had my training gun. Why did I do this? Is she OK?” Porter said, according to WTOP. Porter has been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
The family, which included Manyan’s 4-year-old son, are now looking for answers.
“Ultimately, we need answers not just to help us process what happened but also to ensure that this doesn’t happen to anyone else,” Lee Robinson, Manyan’s cousin, said.
Manyan’s family says the D.C. Public Library System didn’t offer Manyan a safe work environment.
“We’re hopeful that in this search for justice, we will be able to find answers to the questions that we have. And we’re hopeful that we will be able to give the family some solace for the loss of their loved one,” attorney Chelsea Lewis, who’s representing the family, said.
Lewis’ law firm will also conduct its own investigation into Manyan’s death.