Former Trump official dies after getting shot in DC carjacking spree

(NewsNation) — Former Trump administration official Mike Gill died after being shot in an attempted carjacking in downtown Washington, D.C., earlier this week, his wife, Kristina Gill confirmed.

“Mike was not only a devoted husband and father but also a cherished son, brother, and friend. Over the course of his remarkable life, Mike brought people together and made them feel included, supported, and loved,” Kristina Gill wrote in a statement.

Gill, 56, a father of three who worked at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission during former President Trump’s White House tenure, was shot Monday night while inside a car at the 900 block of K Street NW, according to Erica Richardson, a spokesperson for the Gill family.

35-year-old Alberto Vasquez Jr., another victim was transported to a local hospital where he died.

The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), which did not release the name of the carjacking victim, said a suspect approached the parked vehicle shortly before 6 p.m. Monday, got inside the car and shot the driver before later exiting.

The suspect fled on foot and unsuccessfully tried to carjack another person around 7 p.m. at the intersection of Fifth and K Streets NW, police said. The victim reportedly fled the scene and called police.

About 10 minutes later, the suspect approached another man and woman in their car in Northeast D.C. and demanded the keys before shooting the man and fleeing the scene in the car, according to police. The man later died at the hospital, police said.

That car was later found in Maryland’s Prince George’s County, where police say the suspect attempted two other carjackings. At around 3 a.m. Tuesday, police said the suspect was driving one of the carjacked vehicles on the highway and shot at a police cruiser.

Officers with the New Carrollton Police Department in Maryland later encountered the suspect, who produced two handguns. Two officers shot at and struck the suspect, who was taken into custody and later died at the hospital, local officials said in a press conference.

This comes as federal prosecutors are “surgically targeting” violent offenders, including carjackers in Washington, D.C., to curb gun violence and other crimes as part of an initiative driven by the Department of Justice.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said there’s been an “encouraging decline” in violent crimes in many parts of the country in 2023. However, he added that in other areas — including the nation’s capital — there is still much work to do.

The Justice Department announced a surge in additional law enforcement resources that will be devoted to D.C. violent crimes, including taking dangerous drivers and other offenders off the streets. The announcement comes after District of Columbia police reported a 35% jump in homicides in 2023, the most in 20 years. Police also reported a 39% percent hike in homicides and 959 carjackings.

Gill served as a senior vice president for Capital Markets at the Housing Policy Council and was an attorney and a former member of the D.C. Board of Elections, according to his biography on the Housing Policy Council’s website.

The Hill and NewsNation’s Jeff Arnold contributed to this report.