Sarah Beckstrom, one of two West Virginia National Guard members shot Wednesday near the White House, has died from her injuries, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey confirmed. President Trump announced her death during a Thanksgiving Day call to service members and the White House said he spoke with Beckstrom’s parents Thursday evening. The other Guard member, Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, remained in critical condition; Trump said Wolfe “is fighting for his life.”
Beckstrom, 20, was an Army specialist from Summersville, W.Va., who joined the service in 2023 and was assigned to the 863rd Military Police Company, 111th Engineer Brigade of the West Virginia Army National Guard. Wolfe, 24, is an Air Force staff sergeant from Martinsburg, W.Va., assigned to the Force Support Squadron, 167th Airlift Wing. Both had been deployed to Washington, D.C., since troop deployments began in August.
The shooting occurred around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday, according to Metropolitan Police Executive Assistant Chief Jeffery Carroll. Authorities say the gunman came around a corner and opened fire on the two Guardsmen while they were on patrol a few blocks from the White House. Nearby Guard members subdued the shooter, who was shot and taken into custody; police said it was not immediately clear who shot him.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro identified the alleged shooter as Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal and said he drove across the country from his home in Washington state. Pirro said the suspect used a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver in what she called a “targeted attack” and that prosecutors will charge him with terrorism, seeking life in prison or the death penalty if either soldier dies. She described the act as “a direct challenge to law and order in our capital.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators are conducting a “coast-to-coast” probe, executing search warrants at the suspect’s home in Bellingham, Wash., and elsewhere, with inquiries also under way overseas. CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the shooter came to the U.S. from Afghanistan in 2021 after working with the U.S. government, including the CIA. The Department of Homeland Security said Lakanwal entered the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome, the program that brought thousands of Afghans to the United States after Kabul fell in 2021. Nonprofit AfghanEvac said Lakanwal had served in an elite Afghan counterterrorism unit that worked with U.S. intelligence and military forces.
A motive has not been established. In a video posted Wednesday, President Trump called the attack “an act of terror” and urged a review of Afghan arrivals; hours later, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it had paused processing immigration applications from Afghan nationals pending a review of vetting and security protocols.
In response to the shooting, Trump ordered an additional 500 National Guard troops to Washington. More than 2,000 Guard members from several states have been stationed in the capital since August after the president directed deployments citing concerns about the city’s crime rate. Those deployments have been controversial and subject to legal challenges; a federal judge last week ruled the use of troops in D.C. was unlawful and issued a preliminary injunction that had not taken effect to allow an appeal.
Officials say the investigation is ongoing. West Virginia Gov. Morrisey praised Beckstrom’s service, saying she “answered the call to serve” and carried out her mission with the strength and character that define the West Virginia National Guard.
