A former official in Donald Trump’s administration was shot in the head in an apparent carjacking incident in Washington DC.

Mike Gill, a married father of three, was taken to hospital on Tuesday evening with critical injuries after being shot outside his wife’s office shortly before 6pm.

Mr Gill served as the chief operating officer of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission under Mr Trump’s administration, and spent three terms on the DC Board of Elections.

The incident comes as a crime wave sweeps the US capital amid a staffing crisis in the Washington DC Metropolitan Police.

Statistics from the police department show motor vehicle thefts increased by 82 per cent in 2023, while murder increased by 35 per cent and total crime rose by a quarter.

Police said an unnamed gunman approached Mr Gill’s car at 5.45pm, shooting him in the head before escaping on foot.

Yolanda Douglas, an eyewitness, told the Washington Post that Mr Gill lay in the road, bleeding from his head, before his wife came out of her office building and screamed: “Oh my God, that’s my husband.”

The gunman killed another person, Alberto Vasquez Jr, stealing his car, before being shot and killed himself by police over the state border in Maryland, authorities said.

Police are investigating whether the attacker was attempting to steal Mr Gill’s car at the time of the incident, which took place less than a mile from the White House.

In a statement to Fox 5 on Tuesday, Mr Gill’s family said he is “an amazing husband, father, friend and colleague” with a “wonderful sense of humour”.

“He makes friends with everyone – and is always looking for opportunities to bring people together and make them feel included and loved,” they added.

“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.”