(ProsperNews.net) – A former Trump administration official has been shot during a carjacking spree in Washington, DC. Mike Gill, who served as chief operating officer of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), is in critical condition in a Washington hospital, having been shot while collecting his wife from work just blocks from the White House. Erica Richardson, a spokesperson for the Gill family, confirmed the shooting and said, “Out of respect for the family, we have nothing additional to add at this time.”
After injuring Mr. Gill during an apparent attempted carjacking, the unnamed suspect made three more attempts and killed a motorist before being shot dead by police. The dead motorist has been identified as 35-year-old Alberto Vazquez from Maryland.
Over the course of a few hours, the suspect is believed to have attempted four carjackings, as well as shooting at a Maryland State Trooper near Baltimore and a marked Washington police cruiser near the White House. When police caught up with him at the 7500 block of Annapolis Road, he reportedly walked toward them with two handguns drawn. Officers fired, and he died later in hospital.
Carjacking in Washington, DC, has hit record highs in recent years, with many attacks carried out by teenagers. In December, police arrested a group of ten teens for a string of carjacking incidents while police warned that the crime is skyrocketing. US attorney for the District of Columbia, Matthew Graves, said the alleged offenders were charged as adults to send a message and “to show people that this is not a game. This is the real world, and there will be real-world consequences.”
There were 932 carjacking offenses in the nation’s capital last year, with 77% involving guns. A total of 167 people were arrested throughout the year, and 62% of these were juveniles. Victims included Democratic Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar, who was carjacked at gunpoint in October. He was unharmed, but his car and iPad were stolen.
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