A former Trump administration official who was shot during a Washington, D.C., carjacking spree Monday died Saturday, his wife said in a statement.
Mike Gill, 56, who worked at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission under former President Donald Trump, was shot Monday in violence that also claimed the life of another man.
Mike Gill, a father of three, was picking his wife up Monday from work at her law office near Mount Vernon Square, when Artell Cunningham, 28, got inside his parked car outside of an office building on K street and shot him in the head around 5:45 p.m. ET, according to police.
His wife found him on the sidewalk. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
"His sudden departure has left a void in our lives that can never be filled," Kristina Gill said, calling her husband "not only a devoted husband and father but also a cherished son, brother, and friend."
Mike Gill was dedicated to improving others' lives, being an active member of his church, befriending and mentoring coworkers, serving on the District of Columbia Board of Elections and coaching his daughter's soccer team, Kristina Gill said.
"Wonderful and brilliant Mike Gill, a highly respected member of the Trump Administration, was ruthlessly and viciously shot in the head during a carjacking in Washington, D.C.," former President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Sunday morning. "He was a SPECIAL PERSON – His family and friends are devastated.
"The Federal Government must take over D.C. God bless Michael and his family!"
Gill was senior vice president for Capital Markets at the Housing Policy Council after serving as the chief of staff at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission during the Trump administration.
"No words can express the depth of sympathy we feel for Mike and his family," HPC's Ed DeMarco wrote in a statement. "Our thoughts are with his wife Kristina and their three children, Sean, Brian, and Annika, his mother, and siblings as they deal with this tragic loss.
"Mike's death is also a huge loss for the Housing Policy Council and for the Washington, D.C. community, which has lost an outstanding citizen, neighbor, co-worker, and friend.
"We join the D.C. 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 violence began Monday afternoon when the assailant got into a car and shot a male driver before running away, Washington's Metropolitan Police Department reported.
Police said the ordeal, which involved a Jeep Grand Cherokee, occurred in about three minutes. The attacker later tried and failed to steal a Mercedes-Benz, according to police.
The attacker approached a man and a woman, demanding their car keys, police said. The attacker then fatally shot Alberto Vasquez Jr., 35, and fled in a stolen Chrysler 200, according to an incident report.
The next morning, the man fired once at a cruiser on Interstate 295, police said, causing the vehicle to sustain damage to the driver's side door, shattering the driver's side window.
The attacker was fatally shot by police Tuesday in New Carrollton, Maryland, Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown said in a statement. The Washington Post reported he might have been undergoing a psychiatric crisis at the time of the events.
Drew Maloney, president and CEO of the American Investment Council and Mike Gill's friend for 15 years, said he was "grateful" for their friendship.
"Mike was not just a close friend; he was an extended member of our family," Maloney told Fox 5 D.C. "Our daughters' friendship blossomed into a beautiful bond, and it was a testament to Mike's warmth and kindness that he welcomed us into his life with open arms."
Cunningham was reportedly arrested in 2021 on felony charges for threatening to kill police officers who responded to reports of a shooting, but prosecutors in Washington dropped the charges, The Epoch Times reported.
Trump and Republicans have long denounced the crippling of police and the unwinding of prosecution for violent criminals, allowing them back on the streets. During his presidential campaign, Trump has targeted the "nightmare of murder and crime" in Washington, D.C.
"People are killed every night," Trump said during an Iowa campaign rally in December. "People are hurt badly. They go to Washington; they're proud of their country. They come out. They're frightened to go outside. They can't go outside. You can't. If you go outside, you're making a big mistake. This is our capital; it has never been like that."
Trump vowed to take over the city from Democrat-rule that he says has ruined it and embarrassed American in front of foreign dignitaries.
"We're going to rebuild our capital," Trump added in his campaign rally vow. "We're going make it so beautiful. It's going to be the most beautiful capital in the world."
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich echoed Trump's vow.
"Mike Gill’s death from attack by a car jacker on 14th street in downtown Washington while picking his wife up from work is one more example of why Congress needs to take back control of our national capital," Gingrich tweeted.
Newsmax's Eric Mack contributed to this report.