Two 17-year-olds from Washington, D.C., Jailen Lucas and Kelvin Thomas, Jr., have been arrested in connection with the June 30, 2025, shooting death of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, a congressional intern. The arrests were made by members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force (CARFTF) and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Eric Tarpinian-Jachym was a senior at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst and was interning with the U.S. House of Representatives when he was killed. According to investigators, Tarpinian-Jachym was not the intended target but was an innocent bystander during a shooting incident on 7th Street NW.
“Eric Tarpinian, a senior at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst was interning in our nation’s capital, pursuing his passion for public service when he was fatally gunned down. . .an innocent bystander caught in a violent act not meant for him,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “He was shot four times and he leaves behind a grieving mother Tamara, father Robert, a brother Jeremy and sister Angela. This is why from day one I advocated for criminal jurisdiction over younger individuals with family court records. Eric’s murder could have been prevented if we had captured these two, who have a documented history of family court violence.”
The suspects exited a stolen vehicle and fired at two young men they believed to be from an opposition neighborhood; Tarpinian-Jachym was struck and killed in the crossfire.
One suspect was located in Northwest D.C., where authorities surrounded his residence before taking him into custody without incident after deploying a tactical K-9 unit. The second suspect was apprehended in the 2600 block of 24th Street NE.
U.S. Marshals Service Director Gadyaces S. Serralta joined Mayor Muriel Bowser, Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department, and FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Phillip Bates in announcing the arrests.
The CARFTF has operated since June 2004 as one of the first regional fugitive task forces following federal legislation enacted through the Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000. It partners with more than 100 agencies across federal, state, and local levels and has eight offices throughout the region. Since its start, CARFTF has apprehended over 102,700 fugitives.
The Special Operations Group (SOG) within the U.S. Marshals Service is specially trained for rapid deployment to conduct complex operations both domestically and internationally to uphold federal law enforcement missions.
Authorities reminded that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in court.
