Former Trump and Obama Official Murdered as DC Carjackings Spike
Photo Credit: Marion Meakem
A former Trump and Obama administration official who was shot last week during a deadly string of carjackings in Washington D.C. has succumbed to his injuries and died Saturday, according to the DC Metropolitan Police Department.
Michael Gill, 56, is the latest victim of the surging crime in the nation's capital.
Gill was inside his vehicle parked at Mount Vernon Square on Monday when 28-year-old Artell Cunningham, got inside the vehicle and shot him, police said.
Cunningham then fled the scene on foot and allegedly tried to carjack another person, but was unsuccessful. That victim escaped and reported the incident to police, D.C. police said.
Police said Cunningham then approached 35-year-old Alberto Vasquez Jr. and a woman by their car and demanded the keys. Cunningham also shot Vasquez dead and fled the scene in the vehicle before officials say he conducted two more carjacking incidents in Prince George's County the following morning.
Cunningham was stopped by two New Carrollton police officers in Maryland last Tuesday. The officers shot and struck Cunningham, who was taken to the hospital. But he later died due to his injuries.
Gill served as Trump's chief of staff at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and also served under former president Barack Obama.
At the time of his death, he was working as the senior vice president for capital markets at the Housing Policy Council (HPC), was an attorney, and previously served as a member of the D.C. Board of Elections.
"We admired Mike personally and professionally; he was an outstanding lawyer, public servant, colleague, and community member, giving his time and talent in service to his country, his city, his church, and his community. More than that, Mike was a devoted husband and father, who adored his wife and children," HPC wrote in a statement.
"We join the DC community in expressing our gratitude to the law enforcement officers who took action and our grief for the victims. We also voice here our frustration and anger at the continued stream of violence that is damaging our community and subjecting countless families like Mike's to unbearable loss. This cycle of violence must be stopped," the group added.
Carjackings in Washington, D.C. nearly doubled in 2023. And this year the crime is keeping pace with last year. So far, 56 carjackings have been reported citywide since January.
The Department of Justice announced last month it will bolster its fight against violent crime and carjackings in Washington, The Hill reports.
2023 was marked by high-profile carjackings in D.C., including U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) who was held at gunpoint while robbers demanded his car and luggage in the Navy Yard area of Southeast Washington, about a mile from the U.S. Capitol.
Last November, three Secret Service agents protecting President Biden's granddaughter opened fire after three people tried to break into an unmarked Secret Service vehicle, Fox News reports. No one was hit.
Vasquez was a father of two and his family questions why he was killed when he handed Cunningham the keys.
"They grow up now without a father for the rest of their life? For what? Over a car?" questioned Vasquez's father, Jacob Walker.
"They say life goes on, or you've got to be strong. I don't even know really what strong is at this point," Walker told WUSA9. "I don't want to be strong for this."
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser blamed a social media challenge last year for the surge of carjackings.
The majority of carjacking arrests in the city are teens, with the average age from 15-16.
The largest spikes in carjackings occurred in June and July 2023, with police data showing 140 and 121 reported cases, respectively.
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