District of Columbia police have identified Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, a 21-year-old University of Massachusetts Amherst student interning for Representative Ron Estes of Kansas, as the victim of a triple shooting near the Mount Vernon Square Metro station on 30 June. Investigators say several gunmen exited a vehicle at the intersection of 7th and M Streets NW around 10:30 p.m. and opened fire on a group of pedestrians, fatally wounding Tarpinian-Jachym and injuring a 16-year-old boy and an adult woman. Authorities believe the intern, who died in hospital the next day, was not the intended target. The Metropolitan Police Department has recovered the suspect vehicle but made no arrests. Working with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the department has expanded the reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction to $40,000—$25,000 from the city and an additional $15,000 from the FBI. Police Chief Pamela Smith called the killing “a tragic loss” and urged witnesses to share video or other evidence. Tarpinian-Jachym was a rising senior majoring in finance with a minor in political science and had started his summer internship in Estes’s office in June. The congressman said he would remember the student’s "kind heart" and warm greeting for visitors, while lawmakers from both parties and university officials expressed condolences to his family. Support services have been offered on the UMass Amherst campus as the investigation continues.
The mother of a congressional intern shot to death in D.C. last week continues hoping for justice. https://t.co/r7sFCPkDjD
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Reward increased for info on who killed congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym https://t.co/WsNmLIECXl https://t.co/RHrJwatnCS