❓WHAT HAPPENED: A congressional intern was fatally shot in Washington, D.C., followed by the killing of a teenage girl days later. The same suspect has been charged in both cases.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Victims include Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, a 21-year-old intern, and 17-year-old Zoey Kelley. Naqwan Lucas has been charged in both killings.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Tarpinian-Jachym was shot on June 30 in Washington, D.C., and Kelley was killed on July 4 inside a D.C. home.
💬KEY QUOTE: “These two arrests, and a third one pending—I’m confident we’ll get the third one—give Eric’s loved ones some sense of peace as they continue to grieve a tremendous loss.” – Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith
🎯IMPACT: The killings highlight ongoing violent crime in Washington, D.C., as police continue to search for the suspect.
A 21-year-old congressional intern, Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, was fatally shot on June 30 in Washington, D.C., on the 1200 block of 7th Street NW, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. He died the following day. Just four days later, 17-year-old Zoey Kelley was killed in another shooting inside a D.C. home. Police have now charged Naqwan Lucas with two counts of premeditated first-degree murder while armed in connection with both deaths.
Notably, Lucas remains at large. Two other suspects, Jailen Lucas and Kelvin Thomas Jr., were previously arrested in Tarpinian-Jachym’s case. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said both have violent histories.
Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said in a September news conference that she was confident the final suspect would soon be caught. “These two arrests, and a third one pending—I’m confident we’ll get the third one—give Eric’s loved ones some sense of peace as they continue to grieve a tremendous loss,” she said.
Tarpinian-Jachym’s mother, Tamara Jachym, has called for justice and expressed frustration over the violence that took her son’s life. “I think Eric felt safe. It was early at night. He was in a decent area and this happened. And it’s a shame,” she said. “They will do it again,” she added.
President Donald J. Trump’s administration pointed to the crime emergency as justification for his federal crackdown on violent crime in the capital, which successfully reduced offending. However, Democrat officials are now largely back in control of local law enforcement.
Investigations have alleged that police may have manipulated or misclassified certain crimes to make crime reductions appear larger than they are, suggesting the situation may be even worse than it appears.
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