WASHINGTON – The Metropolitan Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred Monday evening in the Deanwood neighborhood.
On Monday, November 17, at approximately 8:00 p.m., Sixth District officers and federal partners who are members of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force were patrolling the 4700 block of Minnesota Avenue NE after concerns raised at a community meeting on Sunday about the sound of gunfire in the area.
During the patrol, officers encountered a suspect, 25-year-old David Warren Childs of Northeast, D.C., armed with a firearm tucked in his waistband. When officers approached the suspect, he immediately fled, near the Deanwood Metro station and officers gave multiple chase and demanded that he stop.
An officer caught up with the suspect, and a brief struggle ensued. During the struggle, the suspect reached toward his waistband, where the firearm was located. At that time, the officer discharged their service weapon, striking the suspect.
The officer called for DC Fire and EMS to respond, but after all life-saving efforts failed, the suspect was pronounced dead on the scene.
The suspect’s firearm was recovered at the scene and the officers involved have been placed on administrative leave, pursuant to MPD policy. DC law will also cover the release of the body-camera footage.
The officer-involved shooting is under investigation by the Internal Affairs Bureau’s Force Investigations Team, which handles all law-enforcement officer-involved shootings in the District of Columbia. The United States Attorney’s Office will independently review the facts and evidence in the case.
This is the second fatal shooting by D.C. police since last week. On Friday, the police shot and killed a man in a domestic dispute on Reservoir Road, N.W. That case is still under investigation as well.
