Former Trump Official Shot and Killed

(LibertySociety.com) – Former Trump administration official Mike Gill was shot during a carjacking on K Street in Washington D.C. on January 29. He was hospitalized and in critical condition following the shooting, with the carjacker still on the loose. The suspect was identified by police as 28-year-old Artell Cunningham, who was shot and killed by police the following day after committing at least eight different dangerous criminal activities within an 11-hour period. Cunningham was previously arrested and charged with multiple felonies, which were eventually dropped by the U.S. attorney’s office.

Gill’s wife Kristina released a statement on February 3, announcing that her husband had succumbed to his injuries. She expressed thanks for the support that her family had received in recent days. Gill also left behind three children. He was the senior vice president for the nonprofit Capital Markets at the Housing Policy Council in Washington D.C. during the time of the shooting.

Nearly one year ago, President Biden signed legislation that blocked a Washington D.C. law that would have reduced penalties for crimes like carjacking. Congress rarely intervenes in the city’s governing, but the bipartisan approval of the resolution and President Biden’s decision to sign it was a good indicator of how bad things have gotten in the nation’s capital. Months later, the city council passed several emergency pieces of legislation in an attempt to curb the rising crime rates. Keeping offenders behind bars while they awaited trial was one aspect of the legislation. The laws were initially set to expire in late 2023, but the city passed an extension until the spring of 2024.

Now the city council is preparing to pass sweeping crime legislation that aims to decrease crime. Since the beginning of the new year, police have reported 53 carjackings, over half of which involved a firearm. Just ten of those cases have been closed. Back in November, the D.C. police reported 908 carjackings, of which 77 percent involved firearms.