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Who is Naqwan Antonio Lucas? 3rd suspect arrested in DC congressional intern's murder

Naqwan Antonio Lucas has been arrested and is scheduled for arraignment regarding the congressional intern Eric Tarpinian murder case.

Published on: Oct 31, 2025, 07:02:00 IST
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An 18-year-old suspect, Naqwan Antonio Lucas, has been arrested and is scheduled for arraignment this Thursday at 2:45 p.m. in D.C. Superior Court in connection with the June 30 killing of congressional intern Eric Tarpinian‑Jachym.

Eric Tarpinian-Jachym (L, Source: Eric Tarpinian-Jachym/LinkedIn) and Naqwan Lucas (Metropolitan Police Department) (Eric's LinkedIn and MPDC)
Eric Tarpinian-Jachym (L, Source: Eric Tarpinian-Jachym/LinkedIn) and Naqwan Lucas (Metropolitan Police Department) (Eric's LinkedIn and MPDC)

Lucas is one of the three suspects

Lucas was named as one of the three suspects in the June 30 mass shooting in Washington, D.C.

According to officials, multiple suspects exited a vehicle and opened fire on a group of people near the Walter E. Washington Convention Center area, hitting Tarpinian-Jachym, the woman and the teenage boy.

Lucas is also a suspect in the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old Zoey Kelley on July 4, several days after shooting Tarpinian-Jachym.

The Metropolitan Police Department said on Friday that Lucas was charged with Kelley's murder after naming him as one of three suspects in Tarpinian-Jachym's death.

Court documents show Lucas faces a first-degree murder-while-armed warrant.

Read More: Who was Jujuan Jeffers? Man killed in Lincoln University shooting ID'd as 25-year-old from Wilmington, Delaware

The suspects have prior violent records

The two 17-year-old suspects, Thomas and Jailen, have violent records in family court, said the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, in a press conference on Thursday.

Read More: Who was Eric Tarpinian-Jachym? Ron Estes' Congressional intern killed in DC shooting

Tarpinian-Jachym and Kelley- Victims

Tarpinian-Jachym, 21, of Granby, Massachusetts, was a rising senior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He had just begun his summer internship in the office of Ron Estes (R-Kansas).

He was struck by bullets near the intersection of 7th and M streets NW in the Shaw area of Northwest Washington around 10:30 p.m. on June 30 and died the following day. Authorities say he was an innocent bystander rather than the intended target.

Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith said during a September press conference, "Eric came to our city with a bright future ahead of him, interning in a role where he served the public on Capitol Hill. He deserved an opportunity to return home safely to his family, but was senselessly taken from his loved ones"

On July 4, Kelley was fatally shot on the 1700 block of Benning Road NE. Two other 17-year-old suspects, Kelvin Thomas Jr. and Jailen Lucas, were arrested earlier on September 5 in the Tarpinian-Jachym case and charged as adults with first-degree murder while armed.

Kelley's loved ones set up a GoFundMe and described her as a "bright light in this world — full of life, laughter, and love. Her energy was magnetic, and her smile could brighten the darkest days."

  • Shirin Gupta
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Shirin Gupta

    Shirin Gupta is a content producer with the Hindustan Times. She covers everything between politics, entertainment and sports at the US desk. Shirin got interested in political journalism during her time as a web editor at her college newspaper NCC News in Syracuse when she first started seeing the effects of national politics in life of her fellow colleagues. Shirin has worked on a wide range of fast-moving and developing stories locally when she was at NCC editing accessible reports for the audience. Her current role requires her to track real-time updates, verify information and present balanced coverage across diverse beats. Covering US politics from an international newsroom perspective has further deepened her understanding of how domestic decisions can have far-reaching global consequences. With a keen interest in international affairs, Shirin continues to build her expertise in geopolitics, policy shifts, and cross-border developments. She aims to learn and evolve her reporting in matters of geopolitics and international issues. Outside the newsroom Shirin writes about books and music for her personal blog. She is an avid consumer of pop culture and reveres literature.Read More

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