Fallen DC officer honored with memorial, procession after accidental shooting

WASHINGTON - A fallen D.C. police officer was honored with a procession Friday as his body was transported to a funeral home just outside the District. Officer Wayne David, who was fatally shot two days earlier, was moved from the medical examiner’s office in D.C. to Pope’s Funeral Home in Forestville.

David was attempting to retrieve a discarded gun from a storm drain when it accidentally discharged, striking him in the upper body. The incident occurred on Wednesday around 5:40 p.m., after a suspect fled from a suspicious vehicle on Quarles Street, and discarded the weapon before escaping on a motorcycle.

READ MORE: Surveillance images show suspect who discarded gun that killed officer: police

FOX 5 captured the scene as David’s body arrived at the funeral home, where officers and firefighters lined the street in solidarity. Motorcycles and patrol vehicles accompanied the body during the trip.

The officer’s death has prompted an outpouring of support from colleagues and residents, who have left flowers and messages at a growing memorial on the cruiser he used the day he was killed, parked outside the special operations division building in the northeast.

DC Chief of Police Pamela Smith called David "the epitome of a great officer." She added, "He was a dedicated and highly respected member of the department, and this is a tremendous loss for all of us." The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

READ MORE: DC area officials mourn police officer killed after gun he was trying to retrieve went off