Despite the fire, Gabby Crumpton and her six kids are doing their best to brighten their days.

“No one’s gonna do it how I’m gonna do it, so I gotta constantly tell myself, ‘You’re gonna be OK,’” Crumpton said.

The fire took place on Douglass Road SE Monday night. Huge flames reached toward the sky.

“Mom mode was like, get them out of there,” Crumpton said. “It’s time for you all to go.”

“My kids left out of there with just the clothes on their back,” she said. “No shoes, no nothing.”

She and her kids moved into a hotel in Clinton, Maryland, but she said the apartment complex is only paying for it through Monday. After that, they’ll likely move to a shelter.

Making things more difficult, Crumpton’s son Za’kari needs a feeding tube because of medical problems.

“Having six kids and going through what we’re going through right now is very hard,” she said. “I feel like I’m on my last leg.”

Crumpton has shared her story online, and people have donated clothes and supplies. An online fundraiser has raised more than $10,000.

“Very grateful, very thankful and highly blessed,” Crumpton said. “I gotta give it to the man upstairs, God, ‘cause without him, I don’t know where me and my kids would be, honestly.”

She said fire investigators told her an electrical malfunction caused the fire.

Organizers of Don’t Mute DC, members of the go-go community and elected D.C. leaders unveiled plans for the museum at a ceremony on Wednesday.

A ribbon cutting celebrated the opening of the mobile museum and a groundbreaking announced the construction of a physical museum at Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE in the historic Anacostia neighborhood, according to a release.

The museum’s purpose is twofold. First, to preserve the history and culture of go-go music in the District, the release said. Second, to serve as a safe space for the city’s youth who need a positive outlet, Ronald Moten, co-founder of Don’t Mute DC said.

“One of the reasons why we have all this violence is our young people don’t have the platforms that we used to have, to get attention the right way,” Moten said. “So, they’re doing all this negative stuff to get attention. We used to have hundreds of go-go bands. Every community had a band. So, we can use those bands to put out positive messages and things. That’s what we used to do.”

The mobile “Go-Go Museum & Café” is a 28-passenger bus with a hydraulic performance stage on the rooftop. Inside it has a pop-out DJ booth, exhibits and the hologram of Anwan “Big G” Glover, the release said. It plans to bring the music to communities and schools in all eight wards. 

A mural of go-go musicians is painted on the side of the mobile museum. It includes Big Tony, Anwan “Big G” Glover, Frank Sirius, Sweet Cherrie and Lil’ Boggie and  J’Ta Freeman and Lil’ Chris. 

The physical museum will showcase the history of the music and house its archives. It will include a restaurant, performance space and recording studio, “to help future generations embrace and produce D.C.’s official music,” the release said.

The Go-Go Museum is slated to open in spring 2024.

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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.

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.

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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.

But none of these memorials is for any of the victims of the most recent shooting. Seven people were shot in the area Saturday night in the latest mass shooting. Three of them died.

A News4 I-Team analysis of crime trends in the police districts east of the river show 201 more incidents of gun crime here this summer than last. That’s an 80% increase.

“Don’t nobody want gunshots in their community,” said Terry, who said he’s lived there more than 40 years.

He’s not sure what the answer is or what will stop the violence right away.

But Ward 8 Council member Trayon White said he has an idea.

“We’re looking for sworn, armed National Guard members,” he said.

It’s an imperfect solution. The National Guard has no arrest powers nor ability to investigate on its own, and who would pay for it remains uncertain, too. White said he’s had or will have discussions with the mayor’s office, D.C.’s interim police chief and the guard about his idea. The federal government would have to approve any deployment of the D.C. National Guard. White said it’s been used here in the past and it would put more boots on the ground.

“One of the biggest things that they can provide is presence,” he said. “The issue right now in our community is that you hear over and over again we don’t have enough officers.”

“The District regularly requests the support of the D.C. National Guard where our needs are within their mission,” D.C. Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Lindsey Appiah said. “We will continue to make these requests as appropriate while also being mindful of the staffing constraints of the DCNG. Our focus, and where we will continue to request Council support, is on attracting and retaining more officers at the Metropolitan Police Department and ensuring they have the resources and policy environment to do their jobs, have a strong presence in our neighborhoods, and make arrests and close cases.”

“I don’t want the National Guard out here,” said Mark Garrett, an artist who runs a gallery and kids program across the street from Saturday’s shooting scene.

He does think more police could help.

“There perhaps needs to be a few more beat walkers,” said Garrett.

The I-Team looked at D.C. police staffing reports and found police districts east of the river have 65 fewer officers this July than last. And as crime continued to climb into early August, they lost even more.

That’s frustrating for Terry.

“It’s not fair to the taxpayers, it’s not fair to the everyday citizens that just want to walk around and be a part of anything. But we’re the last of the last,” he said.

The I-Team repeatedly asked D.C. police for an explanation of the strategy of having fewer officers east of the river as crime rises. So far, that hasn’t come.

As of now, police said there have been no arrests or suspects in the shooting Saturday night on Good Hope Road.

Reported by Ted Oberg, produced by Rick Yarborough, and shot and edited by Jeff Piper.

Jesse Porter, 58, was indicted on Second Degree Murder charges in May. He pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter in court Friday, according to documents from the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

The victim Maurica Manyan, 25, of Indian Head, Maryland, worked as a special police officer within the D.C. Public Library’s public safety division.

She was shot and killed after a training exercise at Anacostia Neighborhood Library in August 2022.

About five officers wanted a group picture taken at the end of the training, a court affidavit said. 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. 

Porter then said he thought he had his training gun, witnesses told police. Several people began CPR. First responders were called to the library at 1800 Good Hope Road SE shortly before 3:45 p.m.

As Porter was led out of the building, he turned to a library officer, the affidavit said. 

“I’m sorry. I shot your officer,” he said.

Library patrons were cleared from the building. No one else was hurt.

Manyan was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. She had been on the force for less than a year. 

Porter retired from the Metropolitan Police Department in 2020 as a lieutenant, an online profile said. 

He will not be held in custody until his sentencing on August 25. He faces a maximum of 30 years in prison. 

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Special Police Officer Maurica Manyan, of Indian Head, Maryland, was the victim, the Metropolitan Police Department said in an update Friday. She was 25 and worked as a special police officer within the D.C. Public Library’s public safety division.

Jesse Porter was arrested and initially charged with involuntary manslaughter, police said.

According to the initial investigation, Porter shot Manyan at the conclusion of a training exercise in a conference room of the Anacostia Neighborhood Library. 

Witnesses told police that Porter, who had been hired to conduct training on how to use a police baton, suddenly pulled a gun from his holster, pointed it at Manyan and pulled the trigger once. 

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Manyan was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. She had been on the force for less than a year.

Porter said he thought he had his training gun, witnesses told police.

Porter retired from MPD in 2020 as a lieutenant, an online profile says. 

“A lot of the DNA of the project is resourcefulness, wherever we can figure out a way to be resourceful,” said architect Jack Becker.

The Grass House, as it’s called, is used as an office for architecture and development company BLDUS.

“It utilizes a system called BamCore, which is manufactured in California and, hopefully, soon in Florida, that is a bamboo plywood wall system that allows you to get wall studs out of the project and as a consequence, have a fully insulated wall,” Becker said.

Architect Jack Becker says sheep’s wool was used for extra insulation, along with other environmentally friendly features.

“Beside me is a willow wall that is a kind of woven alternative to a standard partition in a house and directly behind it is a stair that we built out of a black walnut tree that was literally felled in the Anacostia neighborhood,” Becker said. “So we harvested the tree and milled it into the planks of the stair.”

All of the shades for the light fixtures in the house are made of mushroom roots.

Outside, the exterior is wrapped in cedar and cypress siding. But instead of using paint, a traditional Japanese charring method gives the home its dark color.

Architect Andrew Linn calls it farm-to-shelter architecture, similar to the farm-to-table concept you see at restaurants using locally sourced materials and meeting the people who manufacture the products.

“Our buildings can then become stories themselves about the locations that these materials are grown in and the communities that produce them,” Linn said.

The property took about two years from inception to completion.

“We often bring clients and potential clients through the Grass House and discuss the different materials and different components with them and they might see the stairs or a table or a sub floor, something that catches their eye,” Linn said.

The team hopes it will inspire others to try more eco-friendly concepts in their own designs.

The team at BLDUS recently finished an alley house in Capitol Hill and has others in the works that incorporate the same bamboo materials.

They said they’re also experimenting with other eco-friendly materials like cork and bark cladding.

The car entered the water from the Anacostia Park side of the river, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. However, it’s not clear whether the car was on the bridge or on a street before crashing into the river. Police said earlier Friday they believed it was likely the car was on Anacostia Drive SE before the crash.

The response began as a search-and-rescue. But D.C. Fire & EMS said about 12:30 a.m. Friday that one person was found dead in the car. Divers later discovered two more people dead in the water.

The deceased driver, 45-year-old Artareihk Knight of Clinton, Maryland, had been charged April 15 with driving under the influence and operating a vehicle while impaired and was scheduled for arraignment next week, according to court documents.

One of the deceased passengers was identified as 46-year-old Tim Juan Mundell of Southeast D.C., police said. The second passenger’s identity is being held pending notification of next of kin.

Several people called 911 after seeing the car in the water near the Frederick Douglass Bridge, authorities said. The earliest calls came in about 10:30 p.m.

There was some confusion early on about where to find the submerged vehicle, and rescue workers were first dispatched to the 11th Street Bridge, which is about a mile-and-a-half away from the Frederick Douglass Bridge.

“Report of a vehicle in the water at the 11th Street Bridge, 11th Street Bridge Southeast,” a dispatcher can be heard telling first responders in radio transmissions obtained by News4.

First responders requested help from a U.S. Park Police helicopter, but after several minutes, firefighters reported they couldn’t find the car.

“Investigating … finding nothing so far,” a rescue worker says.

Eventually, crews found the car upside down in the water at the Frederick Douglass Bridge. The Coast Guard, D.C. Fire and EMS and D.C. police boats searched the river.

Police could be seen near Anacostia Drive SE and the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge overnight and into the early hours of Friday morning. Early Friday morning, a tow truck began pulling the black car up the embankment to Anacostia Park.

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Officers could be seen collecting evidence, including a cellphone and a water bottle. Investigators also took some photos before the car was towed away.

It’s not clear why the car went into the river in the first place.

“Sadly, this will be a recovery rather than a rescue,” the statement on Twitter read.

The Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge sidewalk was partially shut down early Friday while police investigated.

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About 4:30 p.m., a fight on a DC Circulator bus between two men in their early 20s spilled onto the street, D.C. police said. One of the men pulled out a knife and began stabbing the other.

Witnesses flagged down Metro Transit Police patrolling the area, D.C. police said.

One Metro Transit Police officer asked the suspect to drop the knife, but he didn’t comply, police said.

The officer fired one shot, wounding the suspect, D.C. police said.

Both wounded men were transported to a hospital in critical condition, D.C. police said. They’re now considered stable at the hospital.

There was no disruption of train service.

Stay with News4 for developments in this breaking story.

Crews worked in the rain Tuesday packing truck load after truck load with tires in an effort to move the mountain that was illegally dumped in the Southeast D.C. park.

Hundreds of tires were found in a wooded area right below Interstate 295 between the CSX railway and the Anacostia River in late December.

“This isn’t how our national parks should look. This isn’t how our national parks should be treated,” U.S. Park Police Sgt. Thomas Twiname said.

U.S. Park Police said they believe the tires were dumped into the park from the freeway above.

In December, News4 found tires in the trees and some still on the jersey wall along I-295.

Twiname said disposing of the used tires is a costly endeavor.

“They’re going to load these tires up, they’re going to be brought to a recycling center and they’ll be recycled, and they’ll kind of continue that process until all these tires are gone,” Twiname said.

Members of the environmental group Ward 8 Woods first discovered the tires.

Ward 8 Woods’ Executive Director Nathan Harrington applauded the Park Service’s response but said he’s concerned that authorities still don’t know who dumped the tires.

“That’s very worrisome. But I hope that they have seen these news reports, they’ve seen the outrage and the disgust people have with this and they’ll think twice about doing it again, and I hope this will also lend momentum in efforts to address illegal dumping in a systematic way with better enforcement and a better system for tracking where tires are coming from and where they’re going,” Harrington said.

Park Police said they’re still investigating to find who dumped the tires.

The clean up effort will take several days.

D.C.’s Attorney General Brian Schwalb, D.C. police Chief Robert Contee, the new Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Lindsey Appiahand other city officials as part of a series of discussions about youth violence – its perpetrators and victims.

“The narrative in our city is that kids are out of control really means Black and brown boys are out of control, and that narrative is untrue,” Schwalb said.

The young people in attendance didn’t come to be judged. Instead, they were there to have their concerns, fear and strengths heard.

“I feel like adults should understand that they were also in our shoes at one point,” one teenager who spoke on a panel said. 

But the youth also talked about something more unique to their generation, something no teen or adult should have to contend with: PTSD. The effect of the violence that prompted the event also prompted them to find ways to cope.

One teen panelist said they write out their feelings on composition books, and another said they change their algorithm on social media to focus on their interest in starting a business.

For Contee, those aren’t anomalies. Youth arrests are actually down – but amid the declining arrests, there was increasing seriousness. 

“First offense incident with a gun, or first offense incident where it’s homicide or robbery,” Contee said. “So these incremental things suggest to me that while there is an issue, there’s still hope.”

The idea behind the MLK birthday observance summit is to inform those narratives with first-hand information. As one teen said, “You really gotta be from here to know what’s going on.”

Organizers hope this will help convey the situation, and be the beginning of a solution.

“This little voice that you kept saying didn’t matter, it’s angry and it’s louder now and it’s an adult, so now you scared,” a panelist said.

Special Police Officer Maurica Manyan, of Indian Head, Maryland, died after ex-officer Jesse Porter shot her at a training session inside the Anacostia Neighborhood Library, police said. Manyan was 25.

“This is the absolute last place my family wished to physically and emotionally be,” Manyan’s cousin, Leo Richards, said at a news conference the family held outside the library.

It was the first time since Manyan’s death that the family visited the place where she died.

“Ultimately, we need answers,” Richards said.

Porter, a retired D.C. police lieutenant, led the training session held on Aug. 4.

About five officers wanted a group picture taken at the end of the training, a court affidavit says. 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 says.

“To read that Jesse believed it was joke to aim a live weapon at a member of law enforcement, my cousin, is absolutely disgusting,” Richards said.

Porter, 58, was arrested and and charged with involuntary manslaughter.

The training session was about how to use a police baton and how to handcuff subjects.

Court documetns say there were several “training weapons” on hand. The weapons are bright orange and cannot fire.

A witness said in the documents that Porter pointed one of the training weapons at Manyan earlier.

Investigators say she was shot and killed with Porter’s 9mm glock.

“It’s not an accident when you pick up a gun as a trained law enforcement officer, point that gun and pull the trigger,” the family’s attorney Chelsea Lewis said.

Members of Manyan’s family said they knew there was a certain amount of danger in her work as a special police officer, but the source of the danger that took her life was unexpected.

“For it to be a baton training and for it to be a retired police who should know the difference between a live weapon and a fake one,” Manyan’s brother, Radcliffe Manyan, said.

The family has not yet filed a lawsuit, but said their attorneys are investigating the shooting.

A spokesperson for the family said they will seek accountability from the agencies involved.

Porter was released on his own recognizance after an initial court hearing earlier this month. 

Special police officers are certified by D.C. and contracted to guard properties. They can carry guns while on duty, the Metropolitan Police Department says. 

Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.

Special Police Officer Maurica Manyan, of Indian Head, Maryland, was the victim, the Metropolitan Police Department said in an update Friday. She was 25 and worked as a special police officer within the DC Public Library’s public safety division.

Jesse Porter, 58, was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter, police said.

“I thought I had my training gun. Why did I do this? Is she ok?” witnesses told police that Porter asked.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Porter has a lawyer. He retired from MPD in 2020 as a lieutenant, an online profile says. 

According to the initial investigation, Porter shot Manyan at the conclusion of a training exercise in a conference room of the Anacostia Neighborhood Library. 

Witnesses told police that Porter, who had been hired to conduct the training, suddenly pulled a gun from his holster, pointed it at Manyan and pulled the trigger once. 

About five officers wanted a group picture taken at the end of the training, a court affidavit says. 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 says. 

Porter then said he thought he had his training gun, witnesses told police. Several people began CPR. First responders were called to the library at 1800 Good Hope Road SE shortly before 3:45 p.m.

As Porter was led out of the building, he turned to a library officer, the affidavit said. 

“I’m sorry. I shot your officer,” he said.

Library patrons were cleared from the building. No one else was hurt.

Manyan was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. She had been on the force for less than a year. Her family declined to speak.

Witnesses said Porter had a brightly colored training gun — a replica — in his holster until the time of the shooting. Camera footage in the room where the shooting occurred matched what witnesses said occurred, the affidavit said. 

Chief of Police Robert Contee said Friday that it’s unclear why Porter pulled out the loaded gun.

“There are props and firearm lookalikes that are in a training environment. They were present in this environment. But why and what kind of was in his mind at this time, I don’t know the answer to that,” he said. 

The retired lieutenant was conducting a training on how to use a police baton, Contee told reporters Thursday night.

“I don’t have answers as to why the live firearm was in ASP baton training,” Contee said, using the name of a company that makes batons.

Sources familiar with the investigation told News4 that when Porter drew a pistol to illustrate how quickly it could be done, he fired the shot.

Police said in a statement Friday morning: “The detectives’ investigation revealed a retired MPD Lieutenant was providing ASP Baton instruction, as a private contractor, for Library Special Police Officers. While in the conference room, the instructor discharged a single round from a firearm which struck the decedent. A firearm was recovered on scene.”

Porter made an initial appearance in D.C. Superior Court on Friday and was released on his own recognizance. 

Special police officers are certified by D.C. and contracted to guard properties. They can carry guns while on duty, the Metropolitan Police Department says. 

Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.

The victim’s name was not immediately released.

First responders were were called to the Anacostia Neighborhood Library at 1800 Good Hope Road SE shortly before 3:45 p.m. after a report of a shooting.

The special officer who was shot was “unconscious and not breathing” when first responders arrived, police said. She was shot in a downstairs meeting room during a special police training session, the D.C. Public Library system confirmed.

A retired D.C. police lieutenant was conducting a training on how to use an extended baton, Chief Robert Contee said.

Sources familiar with the investigation told News4 that when the trainer drew a pistol to illustrate how quickly it could be done, he fired one shot, striking the special police officer in the chest.

Homicide detectives were called to the scene to investigate. They were looking into why the trainer had live ammunition.

“I don’t have answers as to why the live firearm was in asp baton training,” Contee said. “I don’t have those answers for you right now.”

Patrons were cleared from the building. No one else was hurt, and there was no threat to anyone in the library, Contee said.

The library was closed as of late Thursday afternoon.

Special police officers are certified by D.C. and contracted to guard properties. They can carry guns while on duty, the Metropolitan Police Department says. 

Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.

The grant will fund events, support local artists and invest in adding art to public areas. The Arts and Culture District aims to celebrate Anacostia culture and make Ward 8 an art destination, according to a release.

“We know how critical it is to invest in the arts – to inspire people, to grow and preserve our culture, and to bring the community together,” Bowser said in a statement. “We look forward to working with the community to bring another spotlight and destination to Ward 8.”

The grant will also fund a shuttle service that will help residents and visitors access the new cultural destinations.

According to the release, the creation of the Arts and Culture District is being led by the Anacostia BID, community leaders and residents of Ward 8. 

“This grant will help us amplify the creativity and artistic innovation that has always existed in Ward 8 and create a vibrant place that speaks to the community and visitors alike,” Kristina Noell, executive director of the Anacostia BID said.

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