Federal officials provided new information on Thanksgiving morning on the shooting that critically injured two West Virginia National Guard members near the White House, calling the attack unprovoked and “ambush style.”
“Two families are shattered and destroyed,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said during the Thanksgiving morning press conference.
She confirmed both victims, 24-year-old Andrew Wolf and 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, remain in critical condition.
Pirro said both guardsmen were serving in D.C. under President Trump’s executive order aimed at boosting security in the District.
“They were uniformed members of the West Virginia National Guard, and they were in D.C. to keep D.C. safe,” she said. “They answered the call, they volunteered, they put their lives on the line for people they don’t even know — and that is becoming a reality more and more for members of law enforcement.”
Investigators said the suspect, described as a lone gunman, opened fire “without provocation,” using a .350 Smith & Wesson revolver.
Officials said he drove his vehicle cross-country from Washington state before the attack.
The attack unfolded around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday near 17th and I streets NW, across from Farragut Square. District Mayor Muriel Bowser said the shooting was "targeted." Both victims serving with the West Virginia National Guard were shot in the head, a top-ranking source told 7News.
Law enforcement identified the suspect as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal. The Department of Homeland Security said he is an Afghan national who arrived in the United States in September 2021 under the Operation Allies Welcome program.
Authorities announced preliminary charges, including three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. One of the charges carries a possible 15-year sentence, and additional charges may follow.
Pirro said the Department of Justice, under Attorney General Pam Bondi, is committed to a “thorough and impartial investigation” and will hold the suspect accountable “under the full weight” of federal law.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has indefinitely suspended all immigration requests for Afghan nationals following the shooting.
Wolfe, a former student at Musselman High School in Inwood, West Virginia, remains at MedStar Washington Hospital Centre, a Level I trauma center. Sarah is being treated at George Washington University Hospital, which also holds the highest trauma designation.
President Donald Trump called the shooting a “heinous assault” and “an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror.”
Authorities said during the shooting, the soldiers returned fire and wounded the shooter, who was quickly taken into custody. Law enforcement said Lakanwal was reportedly shot four times.
Since the incident, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is sending 500 additional National Guard troops to the nation’s capital.
"America will never bend and never yield in the face of terror, and at the same time, we will not be deterred from the mission the service members were so nobly fulfilling. That is why tonight I can announce that I have directed the Department of War to mobilise an additional 500 troops to help protect our capital city," Trump announced.
Trump described the incident as a “monstrous ambush-style attack." The motive of the shooting remains unknown.
Officials stated that the investigation remains active.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFN081rpVCw&t=271s
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