WASHINGTON — More than a week after a carjacking rampage killed two people in the District, councilmembers voted Tuesday to approve massive public safety legislation. It was the first of two votes.
The "Secure DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2024" includes proposals that would create new gun laws and “drug-free zones” following a spike in violence in 2023.
While there are many opinions about the bill since it was introduced by Councilwoman Brooke Pinto, one of the supporters include civil rights attorney Dionna Maria Lewis. She worked closely with Mike Gill, one of the victims in rampage, at the D.C. Board of Elections. Gill served three terms as the only GOP board member.
“Mike was just great,” Lewis told WUSA9. “Some people often say, 'Oh, this person was so great.’ No, Mike was a great a human spirit regardless of political affiliation and regardless of race.”
Gill was parked on K Street near CityCenter when police say 23-year-old Artell Cunningham of Suitland shot him. Gill was waiting to pick up his wife.
In a statement to WUSA9, Gill’s wife said, “Knowing Mike even casually meant becoming extended family, as he 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.”
Investigators said Cunningham also gunned down another person in Northeast before he was eventually killed by New Carrolton police. They believe the suspect was suffering from a mental health crisis.
President Ed DeMarco of Housing Policy Council, where Gill worked as the senior vice president of Capital Markets, said, “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.”
Lewis said the crime bill being proposed is a step in the right direction. While she believes there needs to be a focus on rehabilitative services, she also wants a balance of stricter penalties to have more accountability.
“Accountability is paramount and we as a district want to be rehabilitative as well but there needs to be a balance between our two communities,” she said. “There needs to be some compromise between the two and I do think after reviewing the bill, this is the step in the right direction. We have to do something.”