The shooting of unarmed motorcyclist Terrence Sterling sparked a series of protests in the fall of 2016. (Photo by Julie Strupp)

The D.C. police officer who killed an unarmed motorcyclist in September of 2016 has lost his appeal to the police trial board and will officially be terminated from his position on June 22, 2018.

MPD issued a short statement confirming the firing on Friday. Brian Trainer, the officer in question, petitioned for his job back in April, and an internal review board recommended his firing in May. Trainer appealed that decision to Chief Peter Newsham, who denied it.

Trainer shot 31-year-old Terrence Sterling during an unauthorized pursuit on September 11, 2016. According to Trainer and his partner, Officer Jordan Palmer, they witnessed Sterling speeding and running lights on his motorcycle. In December of last year, an internal police review found that the two officers violated department policy, which prohibits police pursuits for traffic violations, when they gave chase for 25 blocks.

Trainer said that Sterling intentionally drove his motorcycle into the passenger door of the police cruiser, and that he fired because he feared for his life. He said that the motorcycle had hit the door and pinned his leg. Trainer shot Sterling twice out the window of the cruiser, hitting him in the neck and back.

Witnesses came forward with conflicting accounts, and investigators later determined that Trainer’s superficial leg injuries were inconsistent with his story. Trainer also didn’t have his body-worn camera turned on until after the shooting.

More than two weeks later, Bowser’s office released footage from the aftermath. The shooting sparked weekly protests and calls for changes to the body-worn camera program.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office also opened a grand jury investigation into Sterling’s death, but it announced in August that it would not press charges against Trainer.

In December of last year, MPD’s Use of Force Review Board determined that the shooting was unjustified and recommended that Trainer be fired. That recommendation has been moving through procedural delays and appeals from Trainer, until it was finalized last week.

Sterling’s family reached a $3.5 million settlement in February. City officials said it was highest amount the District has ever paid out in relation to a fatal, on-duty police shooting.