DNC employee fatally shot in Bloomingdale

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Seth Rich, a Democratic National Comittee staffer from Nebraska, was killed Sunday morning. Rich, 27, worked as a voter expansion data director for the DNC and had lived in Washington D.C. for several years, according to the Washington Post.

Rich’s murder took place in the 2100 block of Flagler Pl., NW a little before 4:20 a.m. on Sunday morning. Police found Rich suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to the hospital* where he later died.

“Politics were in his blood,” said Rich’s father, Joel Rich, 68, in a phone interview with the Washington Post. “He wanted to make a difference.”

Rich was from Omaha, Nebraska and graduated from Creighton University in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in political science, public policy and history.

On his Linkedin page, Rich wrote, “I have an enormous interest in public service and working towards making the world a better place.”

In a open letter released by the DNC Chair, Debbie Wasserman-Shultz said Rich “was a dedicated, selfless public servant,” and that he worked “tirelessly to protect the most sacred right we share as Americans – the right to vote.”

Before working for the DNC, Rich worked for the U.S. Census Bureau and in Nebraska politics, specifically for former U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson’s (D-Neb) re-election campaign.

Rich had lived in the Bloomingdale community for the last two years. The community has recently seen an uptick in armed robberies, and police are investigating if Rich’s death could be robbery motivated.

Rich’s father says that nothing was taken from his son, including his cell phone and credit cards. He believes that his son put up a fight with his attacker.

 

*This article has been updated to correct an error. The article originally said Rich was taken to Howard University Hospital, which was inaccurate.