Retired DC police lieutenant indicted in death of special police officer during training

Former police lieutenant charged with murder

According to court documents, retired Metropolitan Police Lieutenant Jesse Porter was indicted Wednesday on three counts: second-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful discharge of a firearm.

WASHINGTON - A retired D.C. police lieutenant has been indicted for the fatal shooting of a trainee in August of last year.

Porter was charged in August 2022 with involuntary manslaughter after firing a gun and killing a special police officer inside the Anacostia Neighborhood Library.

The victim, Maurica Manyan, 25, of Indian Head, Maryland, was shot during an ASP Baton training being conducted inside a meeting room in the library, according to Metropolitan Police Chief Robert J. Contee III. The training was being conducted by Porter, who was contracted by the library's special police to train their officers. Police say that at the end of the training, Porter fired a shot and struck Manyan.

Manyan's family released a statement Thursday, saying they are thankful for the grand jury's indictment, but are disappointed with the District's "lack of transparency and questionable conduct." The family's attorneys say that Porter's company, Porter Consulting and Expert Tactical Training, LLC, was hired by D.C. without ensuring that the company had liability insurance.

"The family is still disgusted by the lack of accountability from the District of Columbia. The fact that the district would allow Porter’s company to engage with its own employees without even taking the time to verify insurance coverage is extremely disheartening and should strike fear in the hearts of the employees and citizens of this District," said Attorney Chelsea Lewis. "The Manyan Family deserves to know the truth about what happened to Officer Manyan and why the district failed to follow its own policies regarding liability insurance."