Police have released the mugshots of the teen boys accused of the murder of a Capitol Hill intern as they hunt down a third suspect.
Kelvin Thomas Jr and Jailen Lucas, both 17, were taken into custody on Friday for the murder of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, a 21-year-old University of Massachusetts Amherst student who was interning with Republican Kansas Rep Ron Estes.
Tarpinian-Jachym was shot dead on June 30 just a mile from the White House, according to police.
The suspects will be charged as adults, according to U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro.
Pirro said both teens have violent crimes on their records, and added that there is a third suspect, Naquon Lucas, who has not yet been arrested.
Tarpinian-Jachym was working as a DC intern for Kansas Rep. Ron Estes when he was shot in a drive-by shooting around 10.30 at night on June 30.
The Massachusetts native, who dreamed of a future in politics, was on his way to grab a late-night snack at McDonald’s when the gunmen opened fire.
Pirro mentioned that investigators do not believe the young intern was the intended target, stating he became entangled in an ongoing ‘dispute’ between opposing gangs in DC.
Two 17-year-old boys have been accused of murdering Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, 21, a young Congressional staffer who was shot just a mile from the White House.
Jailen Lucas was one of two 17-year-olds arrested for the murder of the congressional intern
Kelvin Thomas Jr was also arrested Friday. The two suspects will be charged as adults
A 16-year-old boy and a woman were also injured in the shooting, with the shooters leaving a 9mm pistol and 79 rounds at the scene.
Tarpinian-Jachym’s death turned into a focal point in DC recently as President Trump sent National Guard troops to the nation’s capital, asserting it is overwhelmed with violent crime.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Tarpinian-Jachym’s mother Tamara expressed her grief over the random act of violence that claimed her son’s life.
‘My son had a false sense of security that time of night in that area,’ she said. ‘It happened a mile away from the White House.
‘Eric took the bullet for a 16-year-old. He was an innocent bystander. I think America needs to know that they’re not safe in D.C. My son paid the ultimate price.’
Friend Phillip Peterson told Fox5DC that he will remember Tarpinian-Jachym as a kind and intelligent person who did not deserve his fate.
There is a third suspect, Naquon Lucas, who has not yet been arrested
Officers from the Metropolitan Police Department responded to reports of gunfire around in June, just a mile from the White House. Pictured: Police cordon off the area near the shooting
‘Eric was a good, smart Republican,’ he said.
‘Quite frankly, somebody in Congress should introduce a bill called the Eric Jachym Act that works on increasing police support in D.C, and Congress can do that.’
In a statement to the Daily Mail following the arrests on Friday, Attorney General Pam Bondi praised the response.
‘This is a testament to President Trump’s efforts to make Washington, D.C. safe again — the Department of Justice will continue our work to prevent other young people from suffering the same fate as Eric,’ Bondi said.
‘We hope this brings some measure of solace to his family.’
Despite a modest drop in overall homicides compared with this time last year, Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and Metropolitan Police Department chief Pamela Smith are under pressure to address the recent spate of shootings, stabbings, car jackings and robberies.
There is talk now of potential political fallout from some Congress members using Eric’s death and the latest violent crime as a way to repeal the District of Columbia’s Home Rule Act.
Eric, pictured with his mother Tamara Tarpinian-Jachym celebrating his 17th birthday, had a close relationship with his parents
Tarpinian-Jachym was working as a DC intern for Kansas Rep. Ron Estes when he was shot in a drive-by shooting around 10:30 at night on June 30
‘These two women have to get on the same page and work collaboratively with the federal government if they need assistance to help make Washington D.C. and the District of Columbia safe for the people who live there, work there, and the people who visit from all over the world,’ Tamara said.
‘This is not a political issue. It is a safety issue. If it happened to my son it could happen to anyone. We need to have more police officers at night on the streets. This is a problem in the nation’s capital. It should be the safest place in America.’
