The man accused of hiding a gun in a storm drain has turned himself in a week after a D.C. officer was shot and killed while trying to retrieve the weapon, police said.
Tyrell Lamonte Bailey turned himself in to police at the 7th District Police Station at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, a police spokesperson said. He was charged with carrying a pistol without a license.
D.C. Investigator Wayne David died last Wednesday after the gun he was trying to retrieve from a storm drain went off. He was 52 and served as an officer for 25 years.
Officers with MPD’s Robbery Suppression Unit were canvassing Quarles Street NE when they saw a man get out of a suspicious car. Officers tried to make contact with him, but he ran to I-295 and stashed the gun in a storm drain, police said. He fled onto the back of a passing motorcycle.
D.C. police have not said whether Bailey will face additional charges.
"I want to thank the members of the Metropolitan Police Department and express my appreciation for the community for their tips and information that led to identifying and the arrest of this individual," MPD Chief Pamela A. Smith said in a statement about the arrest.
"Our focus is on honoring the memory and legacy of Investigator Wayne David and giving him an exceptional sendoff during his funeral services next week," the police chief said. "Our department continues to heal, and we’ll continue to support the family as they grieve and heal."
Bailey was sought by local and federal authorities and a $60,000 reward was available in the case.
‘I do think he is liable for the death’
Bailey appeared in federal court on Thursday wearing a T-shirt that said “Rule 1: F--- what they think.”
Court documents reveal new details on the moments before and after David was fatally shot.
Bailey ran out of his shoes after he saw officers and bolted, the documents say. Officers said he was holding his hand like he had a gun in his waistband. Images show him jumping over a wall and onto I-295. That’s where police say he threw a handgun into a drain on the shoulder of the southbound lanes.
Bailey, who had years of experience in gun recovery, was working to remove the gun from the drain when it fired and a bullet struck him.
Court records show Bailey served a multiyear prison sentence for a 2017 crime involving a gun and is therefore prohibited from possessing one.
The charges against him include possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number and unlawfully discarding a gun. They do not include murder.
Ward 2 D.C. Council member Brooke Pinto told News4 she believes Bailey should be held accountable for David’s death.
“I do think he is liable for the death that resulted in his weapon, that was thrown carelessly, and that’s exactly what happens when firearms are thrown carelessly,” she said.
Court documents show the motorcyclist who gave Bailey a ride from the crime scene immediately called police when made aware of what had happened. The motorcyclist said Bailey was a stranger and had yelled that he had been robbed and people were trying to kill him. As Bailey hopped onto the bike, the motorcyclist saw that the passenger wasn’t wearing shoes.
Police say the motorcyclist, who dropped Bailey off in Bladensburg, Maryland, had no idea he was linked to the deadly shooting of David until being told by a relative who had seen the news.
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Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
