A Maryland mother was posing for a group photo at the end of a training session for her job inside a D.C. library when the trainer suddenly pulled out a gun and opened fire, killing her.
Special Officer Maurica Manyan, of Indian Head, was 25 when she was shot and killed in August 2022 inside the Anacostia Neighborhood Library in Southeast D.C. She had a 5-year-old son, cared for her father and had just bought her first home.
Newly released video shows the moment retired D.C. police lieutenant Jesse Porter, who was conducting the training session, drew his gun from his holster and shot Manyan in what his lawyer called a horrible accident.
The disturbing surveillance footage shows the shooting and Porter’s apparent panic at what he did. News4 froze the video just before the shot was fired.
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The video was released by an attorney for Manyan's family, Chelsea Lewis.
“When I first saw the video, I was in shock,” she said.
Video shows ex-officer open fire in DC library
In the video, a group of officers gathers for a picture inside the library. Porter can be seen stepping away from the group. He turns, points his gun at the group and fires, shooting Manyan in the chest.
According to a court affidavit, Manyan was the subject of some playful jokes about her hair and said she wanted to take off her mask. That’s when Porter pulled out his gun and fired, the document said.
The video shows Porter's frantic reaction. He grabs his head and paces across the room as other officers provided first aid and called for help. The video later shows him and another person giving Manyan CPR.
Porter thought he had his training gun in his holster, not his real, loaded gun, his lawyer said.
Manyan was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. A single mother, she had been on the force for less than a year.
Porter had been training the group on the use of handcuffs and batons.
Manyan's family said they want the video to put pressure on D.C. leaders to ensure that weapons are not handled recklessly at future officer trainings.
Manyan’s cousin Leo Richards said he avoided watching the footage until Tuesday.
“I couldn't sleep last night, because that image just kept replaying every time I closed my eyes last night, and that's the reason I didn't want to see it,” he said. “I just keep seeing it.”
Richards spoke about Manyan's young son.
“It's hard to watch him break down at times,” Richards said. “A 5-year-old breaking down and saying, 'I wish my mother could come back to life, I wish my mother was here, I wish that man never killed my mother.' It's hard to hear that.”
Porter was indicted on involuntary manslaughter charges in May. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison.
His sentence was less than what prosecutors had asked for, and Manyan's family believes it's too lenient.
“Thirty-six months is not enough time,” Richards said. “It’s an insult to the family and that we feel like he definitely got away with murder because of who he is,” he said.
In a previous statement, the family's attorney said in part: “The District of Columbia bears a heavy responsibility for allowing such a tragedy to occur in a public library against one of their own.”
A spokesperson for the D.C. library declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.
