WASHINGTON — A day before Special Police Officer Maurica Manyan is laid to rest, her family announced that they will be leading their own investigation into the death of the 25-year-old.
"Justice for my family is for everyone that was responsible and had a hand in the death of my cousin, to be held accountable and liable to the full extent of the law," Leo Richards, Manyan's cousin, said.
For the first time, the Manyan family visited the Anacostia Neighborhood Library where, on Aug. 4, the library police officer was shot by a retired MPD lieutenant who had been hired by the library system to conduct baton and handcuff technique training.
"For it to be a retired police, you should know the difference between a live weapon and a fake one, and then again, its a baton training. There is no way a weapon, a live weapon at that, should have been active in that room," said Radcliffe Manyan, Maurica's brother who arrived to the location with her 4-year-old son Damauri Harris.
The instructor, 58-year-old Jesse Porter, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 1.
Court documents indicate that Porter told responding officers that "he and the trainees were taking a picture and joking around when he removed his firearm from his holster and then heard it discharge" and that he repeated multiple times "I thought I had my training gun."
The Manyan's family counsel announced during the press conference that they have requested documentation into what they are calling a "preventable death."
"We need to find out exactly what the policies and protocols that were violated in this case. As you all know, the public safety director of the library resigned. We want to get our hands on those communications surrounding that resignation," attorney Chelsea Lewis said.
Douglass Morency, the director of public safety for the DC Public Library system, hours after the fatal shooting involving the trainee. Morency's last day was Aug. 18. Officials would not confirm the reason for his resignation.
"We want to make it very clear, that we are taking the position that this is not an accident, it's not an accident when you pick up a gun as a trained law enforcement officer, point it at someone, and pull the trigger," Lewis said. She says their investigation could lead to a potential lawsuit against several parties involved in the death of Manyan.
Part of the investigation includes the review of the surveillance video from inside the training room on the lower level of the library. The Manyan family says they refuse to watch the video because their pain is still too raw, but counsel says they will be reviewing the footage to build a possible case.