A Washington, DC police officer was shot and killed Wednesday night near Kenilworth and Eastern Avenues in the northeastern United States, officials said.

The officer was identified as Investigator Wayne David, Metropolitan Police Department Deputy Chief Jeff Carroll said in a press conference.

David was a member of the MPD for 25 years and part of the Violent Crimes Suppression Division since 2007. During his time with the MPD, David seized hundreds of weapons throughout the city, Carroll said.

He lived in Washington, DC and leaves behind his family, his girlfriend, his daughter and his son.

“Wayne is a true hero for the District of Columbia and today he gave his life to serve the visitors and residents here in the District of Columbia and we will never forget that,” Carroll said.

The MPD considers this a line of duty death.

At about 5:40 p.m., police noticed a suspicious car and tried to talk to a person who had exited the car, said Deputy Police Chief Jeffery Carroll. That person ran from police and jumped onto southbound Interstate 295, where police saw him put a gun in a sewer.

He then ran north toward I-295 and escaped in the back of a motorcycle, police said. It is unclear if the driver of the motorcycle knew him.

As the police tried to retrieve the gun from the drain, a shot was fired and hit one of the officers somewhere in the upper body.

The officer was flown to MedStar Washington Hospital Center.

There was a heavy police presence on the scene, affecting rush hour traffic in the area, including a backup on I-295. Southbound lanes were closed for the investigation.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting in the investigation.

Washington, DC police have released a surveillance camera image of the suspect.

Police are asking anyone who can help identify the suspect or has knowledge of this incident to take no action and call police at (202) 727-9099 or text the MPD tip line at 5041.

The MPD’s Violent Crime Suppression Unit takes a high-profile and highly interactive approach to crime prevention.

This is one of the approaches that citizens have been demanding in troubled neighborhoods, and as News4 learned in an interview with DC Police Chief Pamela Smith earlier this year, it is a focus for her.

“I looked at the geographic areas in the county where there was an increase in robberies, car thefts and burglaries, and that’s what I focused on,” Chief Smith said. “I re-evaluated how we were deploying our resources. I looked at the time of day and night when we were seeing the highest increase in crime and deployed resources in those areas.”

The recent decline in violent crime can be attributed largely to this approach, but the increased number of contacts with violent and repeat offenders presents an additional challenge to the already dangerous duty to protect and serve.

According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, in 2024 through June 30, 71 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers have died in the line of duty. During the same period in 2023, 62 officers died in the line of duty, with firearms being the leading cause of on-duty death. This year, 28 officers were killed by gunfire. Keith Williams was the last DC police officer to die in the line of duty in June 2020.

Stay with News4 and NBCWashington.com for ongoing developments on this breaking story.