A 22-year-old aspiring social worker died after being caught in gunfire as he was stopped at a traffic light in Northeast D.C. Wednesday evening, police and a spokeswoman for the victim's family say.
Recent college graduate Tom Marmet was driving home from his job at the nonprofit SOME (So Others Might Eat) when shots rang out, family spokeswoman Jennifer Jackson said. One bullet hit him, and he was killed.
"Tom was a bright, warm, caring and thoughtful young spirit," Jackson said in a statement. "Like so many other people killed by violence, his life was cut short at far too early of an age."
D.C. police say Marmet was found shot inside his Jeep Liberty about 5:55 p.m. on the 1200 block of 17th Street NE, just east of busy Bladensburg Road NE. He had been stopped at a traffic light when he was shot, Jackson said.
Responding officers laid him on the ground and tried to save him, but he was later pronounced dead.
"There were sounds of gunfire reported, and Tom was apparently caught in crossfire or [hit by] a random bullet," Jackson's statement said.
Marmet grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and attended the D.C. prep school the Maret School. He graduated from the University of Vermont in May.
"He was one of those students who you knew from the get-go had an incredible generosity of spirit," the head of the Maret School, Marjo Talbott, told News4.
He played football and lacrosse for the school, and devoted time to helping others.
"He always did community service, and that's what he was doing at the time of his death," Talbott said.
Jackson also spoke to how caring Marmet was.
"He loved helping other people, particularly his clients at the Conway Center of SOME," Jackson's statement said. SOME serves people experiencing homelessness.
No information was released immediately on a suspect.
Anyone with information on the crime is asked to call police at 202-727-9099, to send an anonymous tip via text to 50411. A reward of as much as $25,000 is available.
UPDATE (Oct. 26, 2018, 2:08 p.m. ET): This story has been updated to clarify information on Marmet's professional status.
