Authorities on Thursday announced the arrest of a third suspect in the shooting death of an intern in U.S. Rep. Ron Estes’ office.
Jeanine Pirro, the U.S.attorney for the District of Columbia, announced the arrest of Naqwan Antonio Lucas in the shooting death of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, 21, of Granby, Massachusetts, last June.
Lucas was arrested Wednesday night in Montgomery Village, Maryland, by members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, the Metropolitan Police Department and U.S. Marshals.
He has been charged in a 16-count indictment in the June 30 shooting death of Tarpinian-Jachym, authorities said.
Lucas was also charged in a second indictment in the July 4 fatal shooting of 17-year-old Zoey Kelley, whose body was found in an apartment with a gunshot wound to the head inside of a storage container wrapped in bedding in a bedroom closet.
Early in September, authorities arrested Jailen Lucas and Kelvin Thomas Jr., both 17, and charged them as adults in D.C. Superior Court with first-degree murder while armed in the shooting of Estes’ intern.
Jailen Lucas and Naqwan Lucas are brothers.
Tarpinian-Jachym was fatally shot at about 10:30 p.m. June 30 when multiple people exited a vehicle at the intersection of Seventh and M Street Northwest near the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and began firing at another group.
Authorities said two rifles, a 9mm handgun and 79 casings found at the scene were involved in the shooting, The Washington Post reported.
Tarpinian-Jachym and a woman who was injured in the shooting were caught in a conflict between the shooters and two teens who were riding bikes, including a 16-year-old who was also injured, the newspaper reported.
Tarpinian-Jachym was not a target in the shooting, police said.
Pirro said that Tarpinian-Jachym was shot four times.
She said authorities believed there were multiple shooters and that it stemmed from an ongoing “dispute” between rival groups.
Estes released a statement praising the work of law enforcement in the case.
“The announcement of a third arrest tied to the murder of my intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym is another step closer to bringing closure to this tragedy,” Estes said in a statement.
“Thanks to the work of U.S. Attorney Pirro, the detectives at Metropolitan Police Department, and others who have worked diligently to bring these suspects in, this case is closer to being solved.
“Eric’s life was cut short far too quickly. He will never be forgotten by those who loved and knew him. My prayers are with his family as they process this new development.”
Tarpinian-Jachym joined Estes’ Washington, D.C., office in June as an intern.
He was a rising senior at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, majoring in finance with a minor in political science.
The youngest of three children, Tarpinian-Jachym was a stellar student recognized for his academic excellence, according to his obituary.
He was a Latin enthusiast who received honors with passing the National Latin Exam.
He was on the Debate Club, Model United Nations, Chess Club and Bowling Club during his high school years.
He attended Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island, for finance during his freshman year but wanted to return home to Massachusetts to be with his family, the obituary said.
He later received a full scholarship in January 2025 to attend the Fund for American Studies in Washington, D.C., along with being a full-time fellow with Advanced Advocacy while attending George Mason University full time for the semester.
