Officials in Washington, D.C., have increased the reward for information leading to the arrest of the individual responsible for the fatal shooting of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, a 21-year-old congressional intern from Granby, Massachusetts.
The Metropolitan Police Department has raised the reward to $40,000, up from the previous $25,000. This increase comes as a result of a contribution from the FBI Washington Field Office. The shooting occurred on June 30th at approximately 10:28 p.m. in northwest Washington, D.C.
Investigators report that while the shooting was targeted, Mr. Tarpinian-Jachym was not among the intended victims. The suspect vehicle has been recovered, providing a potential lead in the case. In total, three individuals were affected by the incident: Mr. Tarpinian-Jachym, who was found unconscious; a woman, reported to be in stable condition; and a 16-year-old male, believed to be associated with the group responsible for the gunfire.
Mr. Tarpinian-Jachym was serving as an intern for Representative Ron Estes of Kansas and was a rising senior at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, majoring in finance with a minor in political science.
D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith has stated, “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 resolution so we can see a little bit better.” The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is also assisting with ballistics analysis.
This raises important questions about public safety in our nation’s capital. Chief Smith described the shooting as “a tragedy” and “something that we don’t ever want to happen in our city.” The significance of this should not be overlooked, as it underscores the ongoing challenges faced by law enforcement in preventing and solving violent crimes.
