The family of 21-year-old Eric Tarpinian-Jachym is raising red flags after their son was shot and killed just a mile from the White House in Washington, DC. Minnesota-born Eric was working as an intern on Capitol Hill for Kansas Rep. Ron Estes (R) when a gunman opened fire on the 1200 block of 7th Street, Northwest. A 16-year-old male and an adult female were also both shot, but survived.
No suspects have been arrested. The police are offering a reward of up to $40,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator in this case.
Eric's mother, Tamara, is urging law enforcement to arrest the individual who shot her son, warning that "they will do it again."
"This is a serious crime. A mile from the White House. This isn't a joke. And then it happened again this weekend," the mother said, referring to a shooting in Washington, D.C., on 4th of July weekend that left 3-year-old Honesty Cheadle dead. "You know, the mayor has to get serious with this."
She said that he son likely felt safe because it was early in the evening and in a decent area, but his death is a tragic reminder of the growing violence. She noted he was the 85th homicide victim in D.C. at the time, and now there’s been an 86th.
The young boy was a rising senior at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, described by his mother as a "kind, gentle soul and he was a very humble boy."
"It's a horrible loss, and I don't know if we'll ever recover," his sister, Angela, said. "We'll just learn to cope and move on day by day, but the pain will always be there."
Estes said that Eric had a "kind heart," recalling how "he always greeted anyone who entered our office with a cheerful smile."
"[He was a] bright and talented young man," Estes said, adding that "the University of Massachusetts Amherst will be missing a promising young graduate from its Class of 2026."
Crime in DC has been on the rise in recent years. So far, in 2025, 91 people have been killed in the nation's capital.
As I reported previously, President Donald Trump floated the idea of a federal takeover of D.C., citing the city’s out-of-control crime and failed leadership. He made it clear that under his watch, safety would be restored and criminals would be held accountable. He also said that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles was “working very closely” with Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser (D).
"Susie Wiles is working very closely with the mayor, and they’re doing all right,” Trump said. “I mean, in the sense that we would run it so good, it would be run so proper. We’d get the best person to run it; the crime would be down to a minimal — it would be much less. We’re thinking about doing it, to be honest with you, we want a capital that’s run flawlessly. And it wouldn’t be hard for us to do it.”
Editor’s Note: President Trump and Republicans across the country are working tirelessly to restore law and order in our nation’s capital.
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