Former Trump administration official dies after being shot in carjacking rampage
By Philip Wang, CNN
(CNN) — A former Trump administration official who was shot in a deadly string of carjackings in Washington, DC, earlier last week died Saturday, the DC Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement.
Michael Gill, 56, was inside his vehicle parked at Mount Vernon Square on Monday when the suspect, identified as 28-year-old Artell Cunningham, got inside the vehicle and shot him, police said.
After fleeing by foot, Cunningham then approached 35-year-old Alberto Vasquez Jr. and a woman by their car and demanded the keys, police said. Cunningham shot Vasquez dead and fled the scene in his vehicle before officials say he conducted two more carjacking incidents in Prince George’s County the following morning, MPD Executive Assistant Chief Jeffery Carroll said at a Tuesday news conference.
Cunningham was eventually stopped and was fatally shot by two New Carrollton police officers in Maryland on Tuesday. Carroll said preliminary information obtained by interviews with individuals involved shows the suspect “may have been in some sort of a mental health crisis or having some mental health issues.”
Gill previously worked at the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission during former President Donald Trump’s administration. He is survived by his wife, Kristina, and three children.
“His sudden departure has left a void in our lives that can never be filled. … 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 said in a statement.
Before his death, Michael Gill worked for the Housing Policy Council, a real estate trade association, for several years, the organization’s president, Ed DeMarco, confirmed in a statement.
“His HPC colleagues mourn his loss. We admired Mike personally and professionally,” DeMarco said.
CNN’s Rashard Rose contributed to this report.
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