We Remember Sarah Beckstrom, The National Guard Member Who Died After the Washington DC Shooting, Trump Confirms

One other member of the guards, Andrew Wolfe, is still fighting for his life, according to the president

A picture of National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom is displayed at a press conference with FBI Director Kash Patel, US Attorney for D. Jeanine Pirro and other authorities, after a shooting in Washington close to the White House. Photograph: Nathan Howard/Reuters

A National Guard member, Sarah Beckstrom, has died from injuries sustained in a shooting near the White House on Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced on Thursday. Another guard member, Andrew Wolfe, remains in critical condition.

Trump, speaking publicly for the first time since the attack, confirmed Beckstrom’s death. “Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, one of the guardsmen we’ve been talking about — highly respected, young, magnificent person … She’s just passed away. She’s no longer with us,” he said.

Beckstrom, 20, was one of two West Virginia National Guard members shot in what authorities have described as a deliberate assault in a high-security area close to the White House. Wolfe, 24, continues to fight for his life, according to the president.

Earlier in the day, Beckstrom’s father, Gary Beckstrom, told The New York Times that doctors did not expect her to survive. “I’m holding her hand right now,” he said. “She has a mortal wound. It’s not going to be a recovery.”

Both Beckstrom and Wolfe were part of a West Virginia Guard unit deployed to Washington as part of Trump’s expanded crime-reduction initiative in the nation’s capital. Hundreds of Guard members from several states had been sent to support the federal mission.

West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey later confirmed Beckstrom’s death, issuing a statement on social media. “Sarah served with courage, extraordinary resolve, and unwavering duty to her state and nation. She stepped forward willingly, answered the call, and upheld the values that define the very best of the West Virginia National Guard,” he wrote.

Beckstrom, originally from Webster Springs, joined the Guard in June 2023.

Officials have identified 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal as the suspect in the shooting. Public details about his background remain limited, but authorities confirmed that he came to the United States in September 2021 under a resettlement program for Afghans who had assisted the American government. According to Reuters, he was granted asylum earlier this year under the Trump administration. The CIA acknowledged that Lakanwal had worked with military units supported by the agency during the U.S. presence in Afghanistan.

A man identifying himself as Lakanwal’s cousin told the Associated Press that the suspect was originally from Khost province in eastern Afghanistan and had served in a special Afghan Army unit. He spoke on condition of anonymity out of concern for personal safety. A former official from the same unit, who also requested anonymity, said Lakanwal had worked as a team leader, while his brother served as a platoon leader.

The cousin said Lakanwal began working with the unit in 2012 as a security guard before being promoted to team leader and GPS specialist.

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

At a Thursday press conference, Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for Washington DC, described the incident as an “ambush-style attack”. She said Lakanwal drove across the country before opening fire with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver.

Pirro explained that the suspect shot one guard member twice before turning the weapon on the second. Other National Guard troops at the scene returned fire and neutralized him.

Federal prosecutors have charged Lakanwal with three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, along with possession of a firearm during a violent crime. Pirro noted that the charges could be upgraded to first-degree murder if either or both victims succumbed to their injuries.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced that the shooting is being investigated as a potential act of terrorism. Federal agents executed search warrants at locations in Washington state and San Diego, California, connected to the suspect. Patel said that although investigators have not determined a motive, they believe Lakanwal acted alone.

Lakanwal was one of approximately 76,000 Afghans brought to the United States following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, many of whom had served alongside American diplomats and military personnel as interpreters, liaisons, or specialized support staff.

Supporters of the resettlement program have argued that individuals underwent significant vetting before entry. However, Trump and several Republicans have continued to claim the process was too rapid and insufficiently rigorous.

Following the attack, Trump placed blame on the Biden administration, asserting that inadequate screening of Afghan arrivals contributed to the incident. He called for sweeping reassessments of asylum decisions and green card approvals.

“We must re-examine every single alien who entered this country from Afghanistan under Biden,” Trump said Wednesday, “and take whatever measures are necessary to remove anyone who does not belong here or provide value to this country. If they cannot love our country, we don’t want them.”

In response, leaders of multiple federal agencies pledged extensive reviews of immigration cases. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it had halted all immigration processing involving Afghan nationals.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it would broaden that directive to include a review of all asylum cases approved during the Biden administration, though it did not clarify whether the review covers only Afghan nationals or individuals from additional regions.

USCIS Director Joseph Edlow later stated he had ordered a “full-scale, rigorous re-examination” of every green card issued to nationals from “countries of concern,” following Trump’s directive. When asked to identify those countries, the agency pointed to Trump’s existing executive order restricting entry from 19 nations.

Trump additionally announced plans to deploy 500 more National Guard personnel to Washington DC, though the source of these additional troops has not been specified.

As of early November, the D.C. National Guard had the largest presence in the city with 949 members on active deployment. Troops from West Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama were also stationed in the capital earlier this month.

A federal judge last week issued an order to end the Guard deployment but paused the ruling for 21 days, allowing the Trump administration time to comply or file an appeal.