Copyright The Boston Globe
Police in Maryland arrested a third person Wednesday in connection to the fatal shooting of a University of Massachusetts Amherst student in Washington, D.C., last summer, officials said. Eric M. Tarpinian-Jachym, a 21-year-old from Granby, was shot and killed in Washington on June 30 as he went to grab a late-night snack after a long day at the US Capitol, where he was interning for a Kansas congressman. Two 17-year-olds were charged with his murder in September, and on Thursday the Metropolitan Police Department announced it arrested 18-year-old Naqwan Antonio Lucas, who was wanted in connection to two homicides, including Tarpinian-Jachym’s death. Police also linked Lucas to the July 4 shooting death of 17-year-old Zoey Kelley in Southeast Washington, D.C., officials said. Advertisement Lucas was arrested Wednesday in Germantown, Maryland, by officer with the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, the Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement. He was charged with first-degree murder while armed in both the Tarpinian-Jachym and Kelley homicides, officials said. In September, Jeanine F. Pirro, the US Attorney for the District of Columbia, said Tarpinian-Jachym was an innocent bystander when the gunshots erupted and he was shot four times. Around 10:30 p.m. on June 30, multiple people got out of a car at the intersection of 7th and M streets and began firing at a group of people, police said. Tarpinian-Jachym, a 16-year-old boy, and a woman were shot. Police believe the 16-year-old may have been the target. Advertisement The two teenagers charged with murder in September for Tarpinian-Jachym’s death were identified as Jaylen Lucas and Kelvin Thomas Jr. Eric Tarpinian-Jachym grew up in Granby, about 15 miles north of Springfield, and attended Pope Francis Preparatory School in Springfield but ultimately graduated from Granby High School, his mother, Tamara Tarpinian-Jachym, told the Globe in August. He was seeking a degree in finance with a minor in political science at UMass Amherst. “I text his phone almost every day, like how my day’s going and how everybody’s doing, and how I miss him,” she said in the interview. “It’s like I’m journaling to him.” “No parent should have to go through this, or any family,” she added. Material from previous Globe stories was used in this report. Nick Stoico can be reached at nick.stoico@globe.com.
