Federal authorities are assisting D.C. police in investigating the shooting death of a 21-year-old congressional intern who was killed by a stray bullet in the District, the Metropolitan Police Department said Thursday.
The FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are helping in the investigation as police search for the suspect who shot Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, of Granby, Massachusetts, on Monday night near the intersection of 7th and M Street. Tarpinian-Jachym died on Tuesday of his injuries.
Investigators said they recovered the suspect vehicle and stated that while the shooting was targeted, Tarpinian-Jachym was not among the intended victims.
A woman and a 16-year-old boy were also shot in the incident. The woman is in stable condition and the juvenile is believed to have been involved with the group that opened fire, according to police. He remains hospitalized with injuries.
D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith told reporters on Thursday, “We do have some good video footage, and I say good video footage that’s a little grainy, so we’re bringing in the FBI to kind of help enhance the video solution so we can see a little bit better.”
In the screen grab from Google Maps Street View, the Mount Vernon Square/7th Street – Convention Center Metro station is shown at the intersection of 7th Street and M Street in Washington, D.C.
Google Maps Street View
Police told reporters they have recovered the black Acura in a nearby jurisdiction that they were searching for in connection with this shooting. They are also working with the FBI to enhance the video and with the ATF on ballistics analysis.
Smith described the shooting as “a tragedy,” and “something that we don’t ever want to happen in our city.”
“We believe that the two groups had an altercation that did not result initially in gunfire. But what we do know is that at the location in the 1200 block of Seventh Street, northwest, is where the exchange of where the gunfire took place,” Smith said.
She added that D.C. police have not yet recovered a weapon.
Tarpinian-Jachym, who had been serving as an intern for Rep. Ron Estes of Kansas since June, was a rising senior at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he was majoring in finance with a minor in political science.
