‘Heartbreaking’: 21-year-old Congressional Intern Fatally Shot In DC

Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, an intern for GOP Rep. Ron Estes of Kansas, was shot and killed in Northwest Washington, D.C., on Monday night.

Estes and the D.C. Metropolitan Police confirmed the 21-year-old Tarpinian-Jachym’s death in separate statements.

“I will remember his kind heart and how he always greeted anyone who entered our office with a cheerful smile,” said Estes. “We are grateful to Eric for his service to Kansas’ 4th District and the country. Please join Susan and me in praying for his family and respecting their privacy during this heartbreaking time.”

Tarpinian-Jachym of Granby, Massachusetts, was a rising senior at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He was majoring in finance with a minor in political science, according to Estes’ office.

On Monday night around 10:30 p.m., officers responded to a report of gunshots in the 1200 block of 7th Street, Northwest. Officers found Tarpinian-Jachym unconscious with gunshot wounds. Officers also found “an adult female and a 16-year-old male.” Both were conscious and had gunshot wounds, as well, according to police.

All three victims were taken to area hospitals where Tarpinian-Jachym eventually died.

“The preliminary investigation indicates that multiple suspects exited a vehicle at the intersection of 7th and M Street, Northwest and began firing at a group. The suspect vehicle has been recovered. Detectives believe the decedent was not the intended target of the shooting,” D.C. Metropolitan Police said.

The nation’s capital has ranked as one of the most dangerous cities in recent years. A crime spike that had progressed for years spiked in 2023 at 40.9 homicides per 100,000 residents, making Washington the fourth most dangerous city in the United States behind New Orleans, St. Louis, and Detroit, respectively.

A report from Republicans on the House Budget Committee said the crime wave was the worst the city had faced in over two decades, tallying in 2023 “over 270 murders, 950 carjackings, and 106 children shot — reminiscent of the 1990s crack epidemic.”

Victims of the crime wave included some of the nation’s most powerful people. Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas was carjacked at gunpoint in October 2023. Former Trump official Mike Gill was shot and killed several months later in February 2024.

In 2024, Washington’s homicide rate dropped to 27.3, which D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser touted as a result her administration’s focus on crime. The city’s rank as the fourth most dangerous city in the United States remained unchanged, however.