Two teenagers from Washington, D.C., have been arrested and charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, a congressional intern struck by stray bullets on June 30. The suspects, Kelvin Thomas Jr. and Jailen Lucas, both 17, are facing first-degree murder charges while armed, highlighting the ongoing concerns about gun violence in the city.
Tarpinian-Jachym, a rising senior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, was in D.C. to work in the office of Rep. Ron Estes, R-Kansas, when he was killed. Police reported that the shooting, which also injured a 16-year-old male, stemmed from an altercation involving the suspects, who were seen getting out of a vehicle and firing at cyclists. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro emphasized the need to prosecute juvenile offenders more severely, stating, “They’re not kids. They’re criminals,” calling attention to the tragic loss of a promising young life.
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