What We Do, Don’t Know About Shooting Of 2 Guard Members In DC

Gov. Patrick Morrisey went to Washington, D.C. Wednesday night to receive real time updates on the two West Virginia National Guard members who were critically injured in Wednesday’s shooting near the White House. The governor also visited with Guard members, their families, and the troops on the ground.

“I’m asking every West Virginian to pray for our two Guardsmen as their families, friends, and neighbors struggle with this unspeakable tragedy,” Morrisey said. “These two Guardsmen voluntarily stepped up and risked everything for our state and nation – they are our protectors and some of the most courageous West Virginians you could possibly imagine.”

The brazen daytime shooting of two National Guard members in the nation’s capital by a man authorities identified as an Afghan national has raised multiple questions.

Officials have released the name of the suspect, who is in custody, and the names of the two Guard members who were shot, but the suspect’s motive for the attack is not yet clear.

Here’s what we know so far, and what we don’t know:

Condition Of National Guard Members

The Guard members, who have been identified as Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, were hospitalized in critical condition after Wednesday’s shooting.

They belong to the West Virginia National Guard, which deployed hundreds of troops to the nation’s capital as part of President Donald Trump’s crime-fighting mission that involved taking over the local police department. There were nearly 2,200 Guard members in D.C. for the mission.

Both Beckstrom and Wolfe have been on orders in Washington, D.C., since August, according to the West Virginia National Guard. Beckstrom, from Webster Springs, West Virginia, entered service in June 2023. Wolfe, who is from Martinsburg, West Virginia, entered service in February 2019.

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey initially posted on social media that two of his state’s Guard members were killed. He later walked that back, saying his office was “receiving conflicting reports” about their condition. Morrisey has not elaborated, but his office said Thursday that he met with the victims and their families and other guard members.

How The Attack Unfolded

Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, drove across the country to launch an “ambush-style” attack with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver.

Video reviewed by investigators showed the assailant “came around the corner” and immediately started firing at the troops, according to Jeffery Carroll, an executive assistant D.C. police chief.

At least one Guard member exchanged gunfire with the shooter, a law enforcement official said. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Troops ran over and held down the shooter, Carroll said, and he was taken into custody. Authorities believe he was the only gunman.

Carroll said that it was not clear whether one of the Guard members or a law enforcement officer shot the suspect and that investigators so far had no information on a motive.

The suspect’s wounds were not believed to be life-threatening, one of the officials said.

The Suspect And His Pathway To The US

Lakanwal, 29, entered the U.S. in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden administration program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from the country, officials said.

Lakanwal applied for asylum during the Biden administration, but his asylum was approved under the Trump administration, #AfghanEvac said in a statement.

Supporters have said there was extensive vetting and the program offered a lifeline to people at risk of Taliban reprisals.

The initiative brought roughly 76,000 people to the U.S., many of whom had worked alongside U.S. troops and diplomats as interpreters and translators. The program has drawn intense criticism from Trump and other Republicans over what they have argued are gaps in the vetting process and the speed of admissions. Supporters have said the initiative has offered a lifeline to people at risk of Taliban reprisals.

Prior to his arrival in the United States, the suspect worked with the U.S. government, including the CIA, “as a member of a partner force in Kandahar,” John Ratcliffe, the spy agency’s director, said in a statement.

Ratcliffe did not specify what work Lakanwal did, but said the relationship “ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation” of U.S. service members from Afghanistan.

A resident of the eastern Afghan province of Khost who identified himself as Lakanwal’s cousin said Lakanwal was originally from the province. The cousin, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said Lakanwal had worked in a special Afghan Army unit known as Zero Units. A former official from the unit, who also spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said Lakanwal was a team leader and his brother was a platoon leader.

Zero Units were paramilitary units manned by Afghans but backed by the CIA and also served in front-line fighting with CIA paramilitary officers. Activists had attributed abuses to the units. They played a key role in the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from the country, providing security around Kabul International Airport as the Americans and others fell back during the Taliban offensive that seized the country.

The cousin said Lakanwal started out working as a security guard for the unit in 2012, and was later promoted to become a team leader and a GPS specialist.

Lakanwal’s former landlord, Kristina Widman, said Lakanwal had been living in Washington state with his wife and five children.

Pirro said Lakanwal currently faces charges of assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. The charges could be upgraded, she added.

“We are praying that they survive and that the highest charge will not have to be murder in the first degree. But make no mistake, if they do not, that will certainly be the charge,” she said.

Pirro said that “it’s too soon to say” what the suspect’s motives were.

More National Guard Troops

Soon after the shooting, Trump said he would send 500 more National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. It’s not clear where the additional troops would come from.

As of early November, the D.C. National Guard had the largest number on the ground, with 949 members. In addition to West Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama also had forces in the capital early this month.

A federal judge last week ordered an end to the Guard deployment but also put her order on hold for 21 days to allow the Trump administration time to either remove the troops or appeal.

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This story has been corrected to fix the spelling of the suspect’s name. It is Lakanwal, not Lakamal.

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Associated Press journalists Alanna Durkin Richer, Eric Tucker, Michael R. Sisak, Mike Balsamo, Michael Biesecker, Anthony Izaguirre, Siddiqullah Alizai and Jesse Bedayn contributed to this report.