The Metropolitan Police Department on Friday identified an 18‑year‑old wanted in the fatal shooting of a Capitol Hill intern and announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
MPD officials named Naqwan Antonio Lucas, 18, of Granby, Massachusetts, as wanted on a D.C. Superior Court arrest warrant charging him with premeditated first‑degree murder while armed in the June 30 killing of Eric Tarpinian‑Jachym. Two 17‑year‑old suspects, Jailen Lucas of northwest Washington and Kelvin Thomas Jr. of southeast Washington, were arrested and charged as adults with premeditated first‑degree murder while armed, authorities said. An adult woman and a 16‑year‑old boy were also injured in the shooting.
The victim, 21‑year‑old University of Massachusetts Amherst student Eric Tarpinian‑Jachym, had been serving as an intern for Rep. Ron Estes, R‑Kan., at the time of the shooting, which occurred about a mile from the White House. Authorities said the arrests of the two juveniles came after an investigation by Metropolitan Police and federal prosecutors.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who announced the charges alongside Washington police and city officials at a Sept. 5 news conference, said both juveniles charged have prior violent records in family court. She said prosecutors moved to try them as adults under D.C. law, which defines murder while armed as first‑degree murder. "They don't need to be protected; they need to be held accountable, and we need to be protected," Pirro said, urging changes to how juvenile offenders are handled in the District.
MPD released the name and photograph of Naqwan Antonio Lucas and is offering the $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest, officials said. The department declined to disclose additional investigative details, citing the ongoing nature of the probe and the pending criminal process.
The two arrested juveniles were taken into custody on Friday and charged with premeditated murder while armed, the U.S. attorney's office said. Charging the suspects as adults means they will be prosecuted in D.C. Superior Court. Prosecutors have asserted that evidence gathered during the investigation supports the higher charges, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the case who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an active investigation.
The shooting prompted a swift response from city and federal authorities given the victim's work on Capitol Hill and the proximity to the White House. Officials have described the case as a high‑profile violent crime and emphasized the collaborative work of local and federal investigators.
Authorities ask anyone with information about Lucas's whereabouts to contact the Metropolitan Police Department; the department said it is offering the $50,000 reward to encourage tips that could lead to an arrest. The case remains under active investigation, and prosecutors said they will pursue the charges in adult court.
The arrests and the search for a third suspect have renewed debate among city and federal officials about juvenile justice policy in the District, including whether more juveniles should be tried as adults in violent cases. Pirro reiterated her call for municipal reforms at the news conference but did not outline a specific legislative plan.
Court proceedings for the two juveniles charged as adults have not been scheduled publicly. The D.C. Superior Court and the U.S. Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to requests for additional comment beyond statements made at the press conference.