Sarah Beckstrom, one of two West Virginia National Guard members shot Wednesday in Washington, D.C., has died from her injuries, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey confirmed. President Trump announced her death during a Thanksgiving Day call with service members and said the second Guard member, Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, “is fighting for his life.” The White House said Trump spoke with Beckstrom’s parents Thursday evening.
Beckstrom, 20, an Army specialist from Summersville, W.Va., was assigned to the 863rd Military Police Company, 111th Engineer Brigade of the West Virginia Army National Guard. Wolfe, 24, an Air Force staff sergeant from Martinsburg, W.Va., was assigned to the Force Support Squadron, 167th Airlift Wing of the West Virginia Air National Guard. Both had been deployed to Washington, D.C., since the troop deployment began in August.
The shooting occurred around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday as the two were on patrol a few blocks from the White House. Metropolitan Police Executive Assistant Chief Jeffery Carroll said the gunman came around a corner and opened fire; nearby Guard members subdued the suspect, who was shot and taken into custody. Police did not immediately say who fired the shots that wounded the suspect. Both Guard members were taken to a hospital, underwent surgery and were initially in critical condition.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro identified the alleged gunman as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, and said he drove across the country from his home in Washington state. Pirro said the suspect used a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver in a “targeted attack” and that prosecutors will charge him with terrorism; she said they will seek life in prison or the death penalty if either soldier dies. The suspect is also in the hospital.
FBI Director Kash Patel said officials are conducting a “coast-to-coast” investigation, executing search warrants at the suspect’s home in Bellingham, Wash., and in San Diego, and pursuing inquiries overseas. CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the shooter came to the U.S. from Afghanistan in 2021 and was admitted because of prior work with the U.S. government, including the CIA.
The Department of Homeland Security identified the shooter as someone who arrived in the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome, the program that allowed thousands of Afghans to enter the country after the Taliban retook power in 2021. Those entrants came on two-year humanitarian parole and later had to apply for other immigration pathways. Nonprofit AfghanEvac reported Lakanwal had served in an Afghan elite counterterrorism unit that worked with U.S. intelligence and military support.
A motive for the shooting has not been determined. In a video posted Wednesday, President Trump called the attack “an act of terror” and said the administration must re-examine every Afghan entrant and take measures to remove those who “do not belong here.” Hours later, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it had stopped processing immigration applications from Afghan nationals “pending further review of security and vetting protocols.”
Following the shooting, Trump said he was ordering an additional 500 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C.; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth later confirmed the request. More than 2,000 Guard troops from several states, including West Virginia, had been stationed in D.C. since August after Trump ordered deployments over concerns about the city’s crime rate. Those deployments to Democratic-led cities have been controversial and subject to legal challenges. Last week a federal judge ruled the use of troops in D.C. was unlawful and ordered an end to the deployment, though that preliminary injunction had not yet taken effect as the administration prepared to appeal.
Officials have described the incident as a targeted attack. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called it targeted, and Pirro said it was a direct challenge to law and order in the capital. Jeanine Pirro said prosecutors will pursue the appropriate charges; former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, speaking on Fox News, said charges could include life in prison with terrorism counts and noted the outcome would depend on what happens to the Guard members.
Governor Morrisey praised Beckstrom, saying she “answered the call to serve, stepped forward willingly, and carried out her mission with the strength and character that define the very best of the West Virginia National Guard.” The investigation is ongoing, and authorities continue to execute search warrants and gather evidence. This is a developing story.