With a few hours left in the Labor Day holiday weekend, dozens upon dozens of family, friends, neighbors and police officers gathered in honor of Wayne David, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) investigator who recently died in the line of duty.
The prayer vigil and balloon release ceremony, which took place at townhomes near 18th Street and Bryant Street in Northeast, allowed family members to eulogize David, 51, an MPD veteran known to go above and beyond through his acts of kindness for family and neighbors.
“My father dedicated his life to protecting and serving,” said Davon David, the MPD investigator’s son and one of several people who spoke on the night of Sept. 2.
The younger of Investigator David’s two children, Davon David led other family members in the release of white and black balloons not far from where a photo of his late father was posted. The large crowd later lit candles and turned on smartphone lights while singing “This Little Light of Mine.”
Throughout the evening, the younger David struggled to gather himself, but later reflected on his father’s legacy. He would later tell The Informer more about how the late Investigator David inspired him to do his best.
“I learned leadership,” David said. “The biggest thing he ever taught me was how to stand up and be independent. His legacy was protecting the community. We can stop the violence [in his memory], keep the guns off of the streets, love one another and be one with the community.”
MPD Remembers a Dedicated Investigator
On the evening of Aug. 28, MPD Investigator David participated in an investigation after an individual, according to a report circulated by MPD, tossed a firearm into a storm drain on Interstate 295 while running away from members of MPD’s Robbery Suppression Unit.
As explained in the report, David, as he would often do in his line of work, attempted to retrieve the firearm when it discharged and a bullet struck him. Despite colleagues’ best efforts to provide care and transport him to a local hospital via helicopter, David later succumbed to his injuries.
MPD, FBI, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms have since issued a $50,000 reward for information leading to capture of the individual connected to the firearm. Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela A. Smith told The Informer that tips have been pouring in the days since David’s death.
On the evening of Sept. 2, Smith and other MPD officers flooded 18th Street and Bryant Street in Northeast in a caravan composed of officers on foot and riding motorcycles. They, along with members of Bryant Street Townhomes Condominium Homeowners Association, Woodridge Homeowners Association, and McKinley Technology High School Alumni Association, community members from Brentwood and Montana Avenue, and a representative of Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker’s office, paid their respects to David’s family.
After opening prayer from Robert Vinson Brannum, Ward 5 Democrats chairman emeritus, and short remarks from Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Harry Thomas, Jr., the organizer of the vigil, Metropolitan Police Chief Smith said a few words in recognition of David’s religious faith and community presence.
“Wayne showed true excellence in policing,” Smith later told The Informer. “When he saw someone in need, he helped when it was necessary. He was a kind, gentle spirit. You don’t find a lot of folks like that. He grew up in D.C. and served his community with honor, integrity, love and compassion. We can take something away from the comments that people shared about who Investigator Wayne David is and was.”
Family, Friends and Neighbors Remember MPD Investigator Wayne David
Kalihah Barber, the late David’s fiance, also spoke to her loved one’s dedication to the job. Just days before his death, David went straight to church upon their return from a Mexican vacation, Barber told The Informer.
“Wayne’s life revolved around the community, his job and the Lord,” Barber said. “He gave his life protecting this community. He sacrificed to protect everyone and gave unselfishly. He was a believer in the Lord.”
Thomas, a longtime political figure and childhood friend of David, said he could often depend on David for information that helped him better serve as a commissioner in Single-Member District 5C06.
“I’m going to miss him… keeping me abreast of the issues,” Thomas said. “He was the voice I knew I could call. He was a people mover. He knew how to get things done. He showed us that we need to stay connected as a community [because] no one lives alone.”
Investigator David, a native of the Brentwood and Montana Avenue communities, joined MPD’s Third District in 1998 after graduating from the police academy. He joined the gun recovery unit in 2007. In 2021, David became an investigator in MPD’s Violent Crime Suppression Unit.
By that time, David spent two decades as one of the first homeowners of a townhome/condominium near 18th Street and Bryant Street in Northeast. That’s where he garnered a reputation as a neighbor who painted parking labels on the ground, replaced floodlights, shoveled snow in the winter and gave neighbors a peace of mind.
For some people, like Lauraline Barr Gregory, David was an advocate for elderly neighbors, like her mother.
“He looked out for the elders like he was their mother,” Barr Gregory, former president of the Bryant Street Townhomes Condominium Homeowners Association said at the vigil on Sept. 2.
“We will miss Wayne. There’s nothing that can replace him. He served this community and protected us. He has been a blessing.”
Esperanza Ozuna, David’s neighbor, also spoke highly of the man she said often came in the clutch. On Sept. 2, her condolences came with a call to action for MPD.
“Wayne was a wonderful and loving person who helped me with anything I needed. I’m sorry for his family. I loved him so much,” Ozuna said. “I want to ask the police officers for help… a lot of crimes are happening. They have to do something to make us feel safe.”
MPD Investigator David’s funeral is scheduled for the morning of Sept. 12, at Ebenezer AME Church in Fort Washington, Maryland.