Family Questions Police Tactics After Bodycam Footage Released in Fatal Shooting of David Warren Childs
The family of David Warren Childs, a 25-year-old man fatally shot by a D.C. police officer, is demanding answers regarding the officer’s actions and training following the release of body camera footage. The shooting, which occurred on the night of November 17 near the Deanwood Metro station in Northeast D.C., has sparked renewed debate over police de-escalation tactics and the use of force.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) stated that officers initially observed Childs with a firearm in his waistband and initiated a foot pursuit. The released body-worn camera video, however, does not capture the initial encounter. Instead, it begins mid-chase, showing the pursuit concluding outside an apartment building on 47th Place NE.
According to reports, the officer involved in the shooting was alone and without backup for a critical one minute and 23 seconds before opening fire on Childs, who was cornered between a fence and the building. The video reportedly captures the officer stating, “I’m gonna shoot you” prior to the shooting.
“Why wasn’t the matter de-escalated?” questioned Da’jon Mason, a cousin of Childs. “If it’s the law enforcement’s job to de-escalate matters, why wasn’t the situation de-escalated? If you had 10 to 15 officers out here, why was there no other officer present to assist in the matter to de-escalate the situation? Why did you continue to escalate the situation, threatening to continuously shoot someone when they are telling you, ‘Don’t shoot me’?”
The officer radioed for assistance immediately after cornering Childs, reporting “One at gunpoint” and his location “behind the building.”
Executive Assistant Police Chief Andre Wright defended the officer’s actions, stating, “The officer used great restraint, gave multiple commands, multiple commands asking the subject to please, to raise his hands and not to reach for the firearm, and for some reason the subject did not obey those commands and reached for his firearm.”
Police maintain that Childs moved his left hand toward his waistband, prompting the officer to fire. Following the shooting, responding officers provided immediate first aid to Childs. Authorities have identified the weapon allegedly possessed by Childs.
Mason further argued that alternative methods could have been employed. “The point where he was saying, ‘You know what, OK, if this is how it’s going to go, then do it,’ when we are the same amount of distance that we are now in this conversation, you could have taken him down,” Mason said. “You didn’t have to keep the gun pointed at him. You could have holstered your weapon and proceeded to take him down. You could have tased him. You could have used OC [pepper] spray.”
D.C. police have declined to address the family’s specific concerns, directing inquiries to the department’s initial statement released alongside the body camera video.
In a November 18 news release, MPD confirmed that the officers involved have been placed on administrative leave, consistent with department policy. The Internal Affairs Bureau’s Force Investigations Team is currently investigating the shooting, and the United States Attorney’s Office will conduct an independent review of the facts and evidence. The investigation remains ongoing as the community seeks answers and accountability in the death of David Warren Childs.
