A former top official in former President Donald Trump's administration was reportedly shot and critically injured during an attempted carjacking outside his home in Washington D.C. Monday evening, according to Fox News.
Mike Gill, who served under Trump as chief of staff of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, is believed to be currently hospitalized in "very critical condition" after he was shot once by a would-be carjacker who then fled the scene.
The suspected assailant has not been identified but is believed to have engaged in a deadly string of attempted and successful carjackings and robberies at gunpoint over several hours in and around the D.C. area Monday night before he was eventually killed in a shootout with police officers early Tuesday morning.
The Daily Wire reported that Gill, on top of his work as chief of staff for the CFTC during the Trump administration also served as that entity's chief operating officer and as its chief regulatory reform officer.
Before and during that stretch of service for the federal government, Gill also reportedly served three terms as an appointed Republican member of the D.C. Board of Elections. He also previously served as a staffer for the Bush-Quayle campaign in the 1990s and for unnamed GOP members of Congress in addition to working as a lawyer for a private firm for many years.
A spokesperson for Gill's family, Erica Richardson, said in a statement to the Daily Wire, "We can confirm that Mike Gill was the victim of the shooting at the 900 block of K Street Northwest on Monday evening and is in critical condition. Out of respect for the family, we have nothing additional to add at this time."
In an initial statement Monday night, Gill spokesperson Richardson said, "Mike is an amazing husband, father, friend, and colleague. He has a wonderful sense of humor, no matter the situation. He makes friends with everyone -- and is always looking for opportunities to bring people together and make them feel included and loved."
"His warmth and kindness have touched the lives of many, evident in the outpouring of love and support his family has received during this difficult time," she continued. "Mike's remarkable ability to connect with others transcends boundaries. His genuine interest in people and his innate ability to make everyone feel valued and included have been instrumental in fostering a sense of community wherever he goes."
"Whether it's through his infectious laughter, his genuine concern for others, or his innate ability to find common ground, Mike is a catalyst for unity and friendship," Richardson added. "The most important thing about Mike that all of his friends know is how much he loves his family and how proud he is of his three children. You can't know Mike without hearing proud stories of each one of his kids, and hearing about his love and respect for his wife, Kristina."
According to WTOP News, Gill is believed to be the first of several victims of an unnamed suspect who is alleged to have gone on a rampage Monday night that involved multiple carjackings and robberies and shootouts with police officers.
The suspect is believed to have entered Gill's parked vehicle and then shot him around 5:45 pm before fleeing the scene and leaving Gill collapsed on the sidewalk next to his car.
Police believe the suspect then unsuccessfully attempted a carjacking nearby around 7 pm but ran away, only to then approach a couple around 15 minutes later and fatally shot a man while stealing his car. He is further believed to have engaged in at least two other carjackings outside of D.C. in Prince George's County in Maryland.
The rampage carried on well into the early morning hours of Tuesday, when the suspect is alleged to have fired shots at a D.C. police car around 3 am and at a Maryland State Trooper tending to a disabled vehicle on an interstate around 3:30 am.
WTOP reported that the crime spree finally ended when a pair of New Carrollton police officers identified the suspect in a stolen vehicle and began to approach him, at which point the suspect reportedly "produced two handguns" and engaged in a shootout with the two officers that resulted in his own fatality.
