Public funeral held Thursday for DC officer killed in accidental shooting
A funeral is being held Thursday for Wayne David, a D.C. police officer who died last month while trying to retrieve a gun in the Kenilworth neighborhood.
The viewing begins at 9 a.m. and a public funeral starts at 11 a.m., both held at Ebenezer AME Church in Fort Washington, Maryland. The church will be livestreaming both events. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser will be delivering remarks at the beginning of the funeral as well.
Following the funeral, a procession will travel through a portion of Northeast D.C. and end with a burial at 3 p.m. at Fort Lincoln Cemetery in Bladensburg.
On Aug. 28, David, a 25-year veteran of D.C.’s police force, was trying to recover a gun that a man officers were chasing allegedly dropped into a storm drain in the area of DC-295 and Eastern Avenue. The gun went off and David was fatally shot in the head.
The man who’s accused of ditching the gun, later identified as 27-year-old Tyrell Lamonte Bailey, was arrested last week and faces charges related to possessing and discarding the firearm.
David leaves behind his fiancée, a son and a daughter. A community vigil was held in Northeast D.C. for David earlier this month.
Procession to impact traffic
David’s funeral procession will take place from approximately 1:30 to 3 p.m.
There will be rolling closures on the following roads Thursday afternoon:
- Allentown Road from Lumar Drive to the on-ramp to the Outer Loop of the Capital Beltway at Forestville Road; the 7700 block of Allentown Road to Forestville Road
- The Outer Loop of the Capital Beltway/NB I-95/I-495 from Allentown Road to Route 50
- Interstate 495 northbound between Allentown Road and Branch Avenue
- Westbound Route 50 from the Capital Beltway to the D.C. line
- Both directions of New York Avenue NE from Bladensburg Road NE to the Maryland line
- Bladensburg Road NE from New York Avenue NE to 38th Avenue in Colmar Manor, Maryland
D.C. police said drivers in the area of the funeral, burial or procession route should proceed with caution, as there may also be more pedestrians wandering around.