Two West Virginia National Guard members were shot and injured near the White House Wednesday in what Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser called a “targeted” attack. The shooting occurred about 2:15 p.m., Washington Metropolitan Police Department Executive Assistant Chief Jeffrey Carroll said, when a gunman came around a corner and opened fire on Guard members who were on patrol.
Nearby Guard members quickly intervened and subdued the shooter. The two injured Guard members and the shooter, who was also shot, were taken to a hospital; it was unclear who fired the shots that wounded the gunman. The suspect is in custody and a motive had not been determined. Bowser said the person responsible will “be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Earlier, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey mistakenly said the Guard members had been killed, then corrected the report. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he was aware that two Guard members were “critically wounded” and announced plans to send 500 more Guard troops to Washington at President Trump’s request. Trump, who was in Florida at the time, posted on Truth Social that the shooter “is also severely wounded” and would “pay a very steep price.”
Federal agents, including the FBI, were on the scene assisting with the investigation, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel said. More than 2,000 National Guard personnel have been deployed to D.C. in recent months for patrols and beautification work; the military’s Joint Task Force said about 179 of those came from West Virginia.
Last week a federal judge ruled the use of troops in D.C. was unlawful and ordered an end to the deployment; that preliminary injunction has not yet taken effect while the administration appeals. This is a developing story and may be updated.
