Police recover handgun linked to congressional intern's killing

Police have recovered a handgun linked to the shooting that killed 21-year-old congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym in June of last year. 

The gun was discovered on Oct. 21, when U.S. Park Police pulled over a stolen Honda along North Street in Northwest, Washington, D.C.

Police then made three arrests, searched the car and found two 9 mm handguns. Both weapons had extended magazines and “giggle switches,” which can turn them into automatic weapons.

The three gunmen involved in the shooting fired 79 rounds. Two of them had rifles and one had a 9 mm pistol. 

Until now, police had not recovered any of the weapons used in the shooting, but made three arrests. 

Prosecutors said in a letter sent to the attorneys representing the men awaiting trial that they will conduct DNA testing on the recovered firearm, magazines and bullets to check if they can link the recovered evidence to any of the suspects facing murder charges.

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“It took the wind out of my lungs, I was in shock. If it is accurate information based on what they filed in court, it’s just really overwhelming. His birthday was Wednesday,” Tamarra Tarpinain-Jachym, Eric’s mother, said in court. 

At least two more illegal guns are off the street and cannot harm anyone, Tarpinain-Jachym told News4. 

The U.S. attorney’s office said the recovered weapon is now part of an active investigation, but declined to comment further. 

D.C. Police have charged Kelvin Thomas Jr. and brothers Naqwan and Jailen Lucas with first degree murder.

“I just don’t want people to forget, he was shot at 10:28 and his birthday is 10/28,” Tarpinain-Jachym said. “His dad bought him a Dunkin refresher, and it’s still sitting on our dining room table with his butter crunch donut that he loved to have”.

News4 reached out to the attorneys representing Kelvin Thomas Jr. and the Lucas brothers, but only one responded saying no comment.

The teens arrested last week with the guns in the stolen car are 18, 17, and 16 years old, according to Park Police. One has been charged as an adult, the other two as juveniles.