Two teenage thugs were finally arrested for gunning down an innocent college student in Washington DC this summer. Eric Tarpinian-Jachym was just 21 years old when he was killed by a stray bullet on June 30th. The University of Massachusetts student was working as a congressional intern for Republican Representative Ron Estes from Kansas.
This young man had everything going for him despite facing real challenges. He overcame dyslexia and a heart condition to earn a coveted spot interning on Capitol Hill. Eric was walking down a DC street when violent criminals destroyed his bright future with their senseless gang dispute.
Police arrested 17-year-olds Kelvin Thomas Jr. and Jaylen Lucas on Friday morning. Both suspects are being charged as adults with first-degree murder, which is exactly what they deserve. These aren’t innocent kids – they have violent criminal records already at just 17 years old.
A third suspect named Naqwan Antonio Lucas is still on the run from justice. This 18-year-old coward needs to be caught immediately before he hurts more innocent people. There is a 50,000 dollar reward for information leading to his arrest.
This tragedy shows what happens when liberal politicians let criminals run wild in our cities. Mayor Muriel Bowser talks about safety while her city becomes a war zone for law-abiding citizens. DC has become so dangerous that even congressional interns aren’t safe walking the streets.
We need real law and order policies that put criminals behind bars where they belong. These gang members should face the death penalty for destroying this young man’s life. Every parent in America should be outraged that their college kids aren’t safe in our nation’s capital.
Eric’s family will never get their son back because of these heartless killers. His mother watched him overcome every obstacle life threw at him, only to lose him to street violence. This is the real cost of soft-on-crime policies that protect criminals instead of victims.
Justice demands that all three suspects face the full weight of the law. Eric Tarpinian-Jachym deserved to live his American dream, not die in a hail of bullets from teenage gangsters. We must honor his memory by making our streets safe again for all Americans.
