In a brazen attack that has heightened tensions in the nation’s capital,one West Virginia National Guard member has died and another remains in critical condition after they were ambushed and shot near the White House on November 26, 2025, prompting a swift federal response.
The incident, occurring just blocks from the iconic landmark, has been labeled an “act of evil, an act of hatred, and an act of terror. It was a crime against our entire nation — it was a crime against humanity,” said President Donald Trump in an address to the American people.
The victims have been identified as Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24.
Beckstrom, who joined the service in June 2023, is assigned to a military police company, while Wolfe, enlisting in February 2019, has earned several service medals. Both were part of a larger deployment of 2,188 National Guard personnel to D.C., initiated in early August 2025 as part of President Trump’s federal takeover aimed at cracking down on crime in the city.
They had been sworn in and deputized less than 24 hours before the shooting to conduct presence patrols and were armed at the time of the attack.
Beckstrom died from her injuries on Thursday, according to her family. She was shot in the head and chest and did not survive emergency surgery. Wolfe remains in critical condition after being shot in the torso.
The shooting unfolded around 2:15 p.m. near the Farragut West Metro station in downtown D.C. Witnesses reported hearing gunfire and seeing chaos erupt on the streets, with roads quickly blocked off by authorities.
The suspect, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, allegedly drove across the country from his home in Bellingham, Washington, to carry out the targeted ambush using a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver.
Lakanwal arrived in the U.S. in 2021 under the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome humanitarian parole program. He later applied for asylum in 2024, and government records reviewed by Reuters show his asylum was approved on April 23, 2025, giving him lawful immigration status at the time of the attack. He previously worked with U.S. Special Forces, including the CIA, as part of a partner force in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
While earlier reports suggested inconsistencies in his immigration status, the new federal file described by Reuters confirms that after his initial two-year parole expired, his approved asylum application formally granted him legal status months before Wednesday’s shooting.
Lakanwal is reportedly married with five children.
Authorities have charged Lakanwal with multiple counts of assault with intent to kill while armed and criminal possession of a weapon, with potential upgrades to first-degree murder depending on the victims’ outcomes, per ABC News.
The motive remains unclear, but the FBI is probing his background, including searches at his Washington residence and interviews with associates in San Diego.
Brigadier General Leland D. Blanchard II, commander of the D.C. National Guard, said of the victims, “Andy and Sarah’s families, they’re spending the day reflecting on the past, and in the days coming they’ll reflect on and think about what could have been, what might be. Because regardless of the outcome, we know that their lives, their families’ lives, are all changed forever because one person decided to do this horrific and evil thing.”
FBI Director Kash Patel stated this is an “ongoing investigation of terrorism.”
In response, Trump has ordered the deployment of an additional 500 National Guard troops to bolster security in D.C. and called for a reexamination of Afghan immigrants admitted under the previous administration.
As the investigation continues, officials urge the public to remain vigilant. Beckstrom’s family has requested privacy following her death, while Wolfe’s family continues to await updates on his condition.