Another man has died after he was shot during an 11-hour crime spree across D.C. and Prince George’s County, Maryland, his family announced Saturday.
Michael Gill, a married father of three, was waiting to pick up his wife near Mount Vernon Square on the evening of Jan. 29 when he became the first victim of random acts of violence committed by 28-year-old Artell Cunningham, who was ultimately shot and killed by police.
Gill was shot just before 6 p.m. as he sat in his Jeep Cherokee outside the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in the 900 block of K Street NW. Police said Cunningham got into the car and was inside for less than a minute before he opened fire.
Gill's wife, Kristina, found him bleeding and lying outside of the car. He was taken to the hospital, but did not survive. He was 56.
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In a statement released Saturday, Kristina Gill remembered how “his heart was evident in everything he did,” both in his personal and professional life. He coached his daughter’s soccer team, served at Holy Trinity Parish and “relished opening our home to friends and colleagues to bring people together. Friends of Mike's knew they could always count on him to help solve a problem. He was in his element pouring a friend a drink and sharing a good story to give a laugh.”
Gill is survived by three children.
Gill served as chief operating officer of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and chief of staff to the former chairman from 2017 to 2019.
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“[He’s] the friendliest guy you’d ever met but nobody's fool by any stretch. Underneath that soft exterior was a determined executive who could achieve really big things,” former Chairman J. Christopher Giancarlo told News4 in an interview earlier in the week.
Giancarlo went on to describe Gill as a man with a wit and special human touch. People gravitated to him.
“In our time at the Commission, if we achieved anything, 95% of the credit goes to Mike Gill, who’s a person that never sought credit, who never sought anything for himself,” Giancarlo said.
He said Gill was highly respected by his peers and officials he encountered all over the world.
Gill also worked with the Housing Policy Council for several years, the organization's president Ed DeMarco said in a statement.
"His HPC colleagues mourn his loss. We admired Mike personally and professionally; he was an outstanding lawyer, public servant, colleague, and community member, giving his time and talent in service to his country, his city, his church, and his community," DeMarco's statement said in part.
The violence that took Gill’s life also ended that of 35-year-old Alberto Vasquez, a father of two young girls. Vasquez was shot and killed when Cunningham attempted to carjack him at Third and N Streets NE at about 7:15 p.m. Though Vasquez gave him the keys, Cunningham still shot him in front of his girlfriend.
Police said Cunningham also carjacked at least three people, tried to carjack others and shot at police on DC-295 in D.C., I-95 in Laurel, Maryland, and I-395 in Baltimore. Authorities shot and killed him when he approached officers and pulled out two guns, police said.
D.C. police said they believe Cunningham was mentally ill, and that he did not know the victims.
Drew Maloney, president and CEO of the American Investment Council, was a friend of Gill’s for 15 years.
“We should take this moment to challenge government officials to do more to provide the basic safety and security that all families in Washington DC deserve. Our thoughts and prayers are with Kristina, Sean, Brian, Annika, and all those who loved him during this difficult time,” he said.
