A National Guard soldier is dead and another is fighting for his life after a gunman opened fire just blocks from the White House.
Quick Take
- Specialist Sarah Beckstrom died and Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe was critically wounded in a November 26 shooting near Farragut Square in Washington, D.C.
- Both were West Virginia National Guard members deployed to the capital when they were attacked.
- Authorities shot and captured the suspect, identified as 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, at the scene.
- The Justice Department charged Lakanwal with first-degree murder, assault with intent to kill, and federal firearm offenses.
- President Trump called the attack an “act of terror” and a “monstrous, ambush-style attack.”
What Happened Near Farragut Square
The shooting happened around 2:15 p.m. on November 26, near the Farragut West Metro Station, a short walk from the White House. Two West Virginia National Guard members were on duty when a gunman opened fire on them. Mayor Muriel Bowser described the attack as targeted, not random. Police and federal officers shot the suspect and took him into custody at the scene.
The Joint Task Force–District of Columbia confirmed the attack struck several Guard members patrolling the area that afternoon. Early reports said both victims were in critical condition. That picture changed within days, when officials confirmed one soldier had died from her wounds while the other remained hospitalized in very serious condition.
The Victims: Beckstrom and Wolfe
Specialist Sarah Beckstrom did not survive her injuries. Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe was shot and remains in critical condition, according to the Justice Department’s own description of the case. Both were members of the West Virginia National Guard serving in Washington as part of the ongoing federal deployment in the capital. The Associated Press confirmed Beckstrom’s death and Wolfe’s grave condition in its coverage of the attack.
The Justice Department called the shooting an “ambush-style” attack, a phrase prosecutors have used repeatedly in official statements about the case. That description did not originate as political spin. It appears directly in charging documents and law enforcement briefings tied to the investigation itself.
The Suspect and the Charges
Federal prosecutors identified the shooter as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who came to the United States in 2021 and had been living in Washington State. He faces first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, and firearm charges tied to Beckstrom’s death and Wolfe’s shooting.
A later indictment added more charges, accusing Lakanwal of assaulting two Army National Guard majors who stepped in and physically subdued him during the attack. Those added counts suggest other service members helped stop the gunman before police arrived, though the full sequence of events has not been laid out in public court filings yet.
These are criminal allegations, not a final verdict. Lakanwal is presumed innocent unless prosecutors prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
Terrorism Questions and Political Reaction
The FBI opened its investigation looking at whether the shooting qualified as an act of terrorism, a question that remains separate from the murder and assault charges already filed. President Trump publicly labeled the attack an “act of terror” and a “monstrous, ambush-style attack,” reflecting how quickly political leaders moved to characterize the shooting even as the investigation continued.
The attack landed in the middle of an already heated argument over why National Guard troops are stationed in Washington at all. Guard deployments to the capital are not new. Government researchers count at least ten such deployments responding to violence or anticipated violence between the early 1800s and 2020, long before this year’s mission began. Whatever this shooting means for that debate, it does not change the facts of what happened to Beckstrom and Wolfe that afternoon near Farragut Square.
Sources:
govinfo.gov, justice.gov, nbcnews.com, bbc.co.uk, apnews.com
