Two West Virginia National Guard members were in critical condition after a shooting near the White House on Wednesday in what D.C. officials described as a “targeted” attack. The gunman, who was also shot, was taken into custody, authorities said.
President Trump called the incident a “monstrous, ambush style attack” and said the suspect was a “foreigner” who arrived from Afghanistan in September 2021; the suspect’s name was not released. Trump blamed the Biden administration’s immigration policies and said everyone who entered the U.S. from Afghanistan during President Biden’s term would be reviewed. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the suspect came to the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome, the program that resettled Afghan refugees and those who aided the U.S. government after the Taliban takeover.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced plans to send 500 more Guard personnel to Washington, D.C., a move Trump confirmed; that would add to about 2,200 troops already deployed there as part of efforts ordered by the president.
The shooting occurred around 2:15 p.m., according to Jeffrey Carroll, executive assistant chief of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department. Carroll said the gunman came around a corner and opened fire at the Guard members while they were on patrol. Nearby Guard members quickly intervened and subdued the shooter; Carroll said it was unclear who shot the gunman. The two injured Guard members and the shooter were transported to a hospital.
Earlier in the day, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey initially said the Guard members had been killed, then retracted that statement as reports conflicted. Authorities later clarified the two Guardsmen were critically wounded and remained hospitalized.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau will lead the investigation and that the attack will be prosecuted federally as an assault on a federal law enforcement officer. As of Wednesday evening, no motive had been publicly identified. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said the person responsible would “be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Trump, who was in Florida at the time, posted on Truth Social calling the shooter “the animal that shot the two National Guardsmen” and said the suspect would “pay a very steep price.”
Over recent months, more than 2,000 National Guard personnel have been deployed to D.C. for patrols and beautification efforts, with more than half brought in from other states. The military’s Joint Task Force in D.C. said about 179 Guard members came from West Virginia. The deployments began in early August at Trump’s direction over concerns about the city’s crime rate. Last week, a federal judge ruled that the use of troops in D.C. was unlawful and ordered an end to the deployment; the judge’s preliminary injunction has not yet taken effect to allow the administration time to appeal.
