Thread: National Guard member has died from injuries after D.C. shooting | Sarah Beckstrom

National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom has died from injuries after D.C. shooting

By Kat Lonsdorf,
Brian Mann, Juliana Kim
Published November 27, 2025 at 7:03 PM CST


U.S. Attorney’s Office/AP

This photo combination shows West Virginia National Guard Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe (left) and Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, who were injured in Wednesday's shooting in Washington, D.C.

Updated November 27, 2025 at 6:32 PM CST
Sarah Beckstrom, one of the two West Virginia National Guard members shot Wednesday in Washington, D.C., has died.

During a Thanksgiving Day call to service members, President Trump announced her death, adding that the second Guard member, Andrew Wolfe, "is fighting for his life."

In a statement, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey confirmed that Beckstrom died from injuries sustained during the shooting on Wednesday.

"She answered the call to serve, stepped forward willingly, and carried out her mission with the strength and character that define the very best of the West Virginia National Guard," Morrisey said.

Beckstrom, 20, and Wolfe, 24, were on patrol a few blocks from White House when a gunman opened fire on Wednesday afternoon. Both Guard members were taken to a hospital, where they underwent surgery and were in critical condition.

Earlier Thursday, Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said the alleged gunman, identified as Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, drove across the country from his home in Washington state.

Pirro added that the suspect used a .357 Smith and Wesson revolver in a "targeted attack" to shoot the two Guard members.

"This was just not an attack. It was a direct challenge to law and order in our capital," she said at a press conference.


Andrew Leyden / Getty Images/Getty Images

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro speaks to the press Thursday about the investigation into the shooting of two West Virginia National Guard members. Looking on are Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (from left), D.C. Executive Assistant Police Chief Jeffery Carroll and FBI Director Kash Patel.

At the time, Pirro also said the alleged gunman will be charged with terrorism and she will seek life in prison — or the death penalty if either soldier dies. The suspect is also in the hospital.

Both Beckstrom and Wolfe were deployed to D.C. since the troop deployment began in the city in August.

Beckstrom was an Army specialist from Summersville, W.Va. She joined the service in 2023 and was assigned to the 863rd Military Police Company, 111th Engineer Brigade of the West Virginia Army National Guard.

Wolfe is an Air Force staff sergeant from Martinsburg, W.Va. He entered the service in 2019 and was assigned to Force Support Squadron, 167th Airlift Wing of the West Virginia Air National Guard.

During the press conference on Thursday, FBI Director Kash Patel said that officials are conducting a "coast-to-coast" investigation with search warrants being executed at the suspect's home in Bellingham, WA, and also in San Diego. He indicated inquiries are also being carried out overseas.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in an emailed statement Thursday that the shooter involved in the attack, who came to the U.S. from Afghanistan in 2021, was admitted into the U.S. "due to his prior work with the U.S. Government, including CIA."

The attack comes as President Trump has deployed the National Guard to several cities around the country, including the nation's capital in recent months — a pattern that has been controversial, and challenged in the courts.

Here's what we know so far:

Officials say it was a "targeted" attack
The shooting occurred around 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, according to Jeffery Carroll, the executive assistant chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.

Speaking at a press conference Wednesday, Carroll said the gunman came around a corner and opened fire at the Guard members while they were on patrol.

Nearby Guard members then subdued the gunman, who was shot, and taken into custody. Police said it wasn't immediately clear who shot the gunman.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called it a "targeted" attack.

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump wrote on Truth Social, "The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen ... is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price." The president was in Florida at the time of the shooting.

In an interview with Fox News Thursday, Bondi said one of the Guard members — a "young woman" — had volunteered to be in Washington for the Thanksgiving holiday. She identified the other Guard member as male. She said both "were fighting for their lives."



Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images/Getty Images

National Guard members respond to the shooting of two West Virginia Guard members near the White House on Wednesday.

Suspected shooter came to the U.S. from Afghanistan
In a video address posted to the White House social media, Trump said that the shooter came to the U.S. from Afghanistan in 2021.

The Department of Homeland Security later identified the shooter as Lakanwal, and said he came to the U.S. as part of a Biden administration program called Operation Allies Welcome that allowed thousands of Afghans to enter the country after the Taliban retook power of Afghanistan in 2021. Those people came on two-year grants of parole, then later had to apply for other ways to stay in the country permanently, like asylum, and go through rigorous screening.

Lakanwal previously served in one of Afghanistan's elite counterterrorism units, according to AfghanEvac, a nonprofit run by U.S. veterans and others who served in Afghanistan. The unit was operated by the CIA with direct U.S. intelligence and military support, according to the group.

In his statement, the CIA's Ratcliffe said: "In the wake of the disastrous Biden Withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden Administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States in September 2021 due to his prior work with the U.S. Government, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, which ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation."

He added: "This individual — and so many others — should have never been allowed to come here. Our citizens and servicemembers deserve far better than to endure the ongoing fallout from the Biden Administration's catastrophic failures."

Roughly 200,000 Afghan immigrants and refugees came to the U.S. after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August 2021. Some of them have since received green cards or even U.S. citizenship, but many have more tenuous legal status, such as humanitarian parole.

A motive for the shooting is not yet known.

In the video posted on Wednesday, Trump called the attack "an act of terror" and reiterated anti-immigrant rhetoric.

"We must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden and we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country," he said.

Several hours later, U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services announced it had stopped processing immigration applications from Afghan nationals "pending further review of security and vetting protocols."

The move will almost certainly affect a number of Afghans who worked for the U.S. government or NATO forces during the 20-year war in Afghanistan, and have largely been left in limbo after the Trump administration curbed immigration.

Bondi told Fox News that charges against the shooter "would depend on what happens" to the Guard members, but said that at a minimum officials were considering "life in prison with terrorism charges." She said the investigation into the Wednesday's shooting was active and open.


Tyrone Turner / WAMU/WAMU

Law enforcement officials secure the scene after two National Guard members were shot in downtown Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

Trump has ordered hundreds more troops to D.C.
In his video statement, Trump doubled down on his deployment of National Guard troops to the nation's capital, saying he was ordering an additional 500 troops to the city. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth later confirmed the request.

More than 2,000 Guard troops have been stationed in D.C. from several states, including West Virginia, since August, when Trump ordered the deployment over concerns about the city's crime rate.

The deployment was part of a pattern since this summer of Trump deploying the National Guard to Democratic-led cities around the country, often against the wishes of local governors and authorities. In D.C., the president has the unique authority to do so because of the city's entwined relationship with the federal government.

The deployments have been very controversial, and have faced a litany of legal battles, all the way up to the Supreme Court. In places like Portland, Ore., or Chicago, federal judges almost immediately intervened and blocked the deployments. Those are still tied up in legal battles.

Last week, a federal judge ruled that the use of troops in D.C. was unlawful and ordered an end to the deployment — but that preliminary injunction had yet to take effect in order to give the Trump administration time to appeal.
This is a developing story and will be updated.

NPR's Juliana Kim contributed reporting.

Copyright 2025 NPR

National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom has died from injuries after D.C. shooting | TPR

2 National Guard members SHOT by Afghan national near White House

11/28/2025 // Ramon Tomey // 150 Views

Tags: active shooter, Dangerous, Donald Trump, gun violence, law enforcement, migrants, national security, Operation Allies Welcome, policing, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, shooting incident, shootings, terrorism, unhinged, violence, Washington DC, West Virginia National Guard

• Two West Virginia National Guard members were fatally shot in a targeted attack near the White House by an Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
  
  
• The gunman entered the U.S. through the Biden administration's "Operation Allies Welcome" refugee program in 2021 and was in the country illegally after overstaying his visa.
  
  
• The incident is being investigated as a potential act of terrorism, prompting a major security response including a White House lockdown and the deployment of additional National Guard troops.
  
  
• President Donald Trump condemned the attack as an act of terror and called for a re-examination of all Afghan evacuees admitted under the program.
  
  
• The shooting has raised serious concerns about national security, the vetting processes for refugees and the safety of National Guard members deployed in domestic operations.

Two members of the West Virginia National Guard were fatally shot just blocks away from the White House by an Afghan national who entered the country via a Biden-era refugee program.

The incident happened on Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 26, near the corner of 17th and I streets. The gunman, identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, approached the guardsmen and fired at one of them at close range while shouting "Allahu Akbar" (God is great). He then shot at another guardsman who tried to take cover behind a bus stop.

Other guardsmen at the scene also returned fire, critically injuring the Afghan shooter. The two guardsmen, who suffered critical injuries, were transported to local hospitals. National Guard members held down Lakanwal to prevent him from escaping, until he was taken into custody.

The Wednesday shooting has raised serious questions about the security of the nation's capital and the intentions of the attacker. Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser described the shooting as a targeted attack, while the Federal Bureau of Investigation is probing it as a potential act of terrorism.

Following the shooting, President Donald Trump condemned Lakanwal's "act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror," administration in a video message. He also called for the re-examination of "every alien … from Afghanistan" who entered the U.S. during the Biden administration. Earlier, Trump took to Truth Social, promising that "the animal that shot the two National Guardsmen … will pay a very steep price."

The shooting has also led to a lockdown of the White House and a swarm of law enforcement from multiple federal and city agencies. The president also ordered 500 more National Guard soldiers deployed to Washington, D.C., joining the approximately 2,200 already in the city.

Biden's Operation Allies Welcome: A national security breach?
Lakanwal entered the U.S. in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans who assisted the U.S. during the Afghanistan war. However, he overstayed his visa and is in the country illegally.

BrightU.AI's Enoch engine warns that the Biden administration's Operation Allies Welcome initiative poses significant risks to national security and sovereignty by facilitating the entry of individuals deemed armed and dangerous into the U.S. – just like Lakanwal. This action undermines the safety and well-being of American citizens and aligns with a broader agenda of globalist depopulation and control.

The presence of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., has been a contentious issue for months. Trump deployed the troops in August as part of a crackdown on crime in Democrat-run cities, a move that was opposed by local officials and condemned by Democrats.

The Guard members have been involved in various tasks, including patrolling neighborhoods, participating in highway checkpoints and guarding sports events. But the shooting has raised questions about the effectiveness of these deployments and the security of the capital.

The shooting has broader implications for national security and the role of the National Guard in domestic operations. It also highlights the ongoing debate about the balance between security and civil liberties. The incident raises concerns about the potential for similar incidents in the future.

The targeted ambush on National Guard members near the White House is a stark reminder of the ongoing threats to America's security and the need for vigilance and preparedness. The incident also underscores the importance of transparency and accountability in government actions. Thus, it is crucial to ensure that security measures are both effective and respectful of the rights and freedoms that define the American republic.

Watch this Sky News Australia report about President Trump's response to the shooting of the West Virginia National Guard members in the capital.

This video is from the TrendingNews channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:
RT.com
ZeroHedge.com
ChannelNewsAsia.com
WRDW.com
BrightU.ai
Brighteon.com

2 National Guard members SHOT by Afghan national near White House – NaturalNews.com

Afghan gunman behind National Guard shooting previously worked with the CIA in his home country

11/30/2025 // Kevin Hughes // 30 Views

Tags: Afghanistan, Afghans, Asylum, Central Intelligence Agency, chaos, CIA, Collapse, Dangerous, Donald Trump, gun violence, john ratcliffe, Kash Patel, migrants, National Guard, national security, Open Borders, Operation Allies Welcome, Pam Bondi, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, shootings, terrorism, traitors, treason, violence, White House

• Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who previously worked with the CIA and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, ambushed two National Guard members near the White House. He entered the U.S. in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden-era evacuation program for Afghan allies.
  
  
• Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was killed, and Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, was critically wounded. Lakanwal fired four rounds from an unregistered revolver, stole Beckstrom's weapon and continued shooting before being subdued by return fire.
  
  
• Lakanwal had worked with U.S. special forces in Afghanistan and suffered from PTSD. He was granted asylum in 2025 but feared deportation; no direct extremist ties have been confirmed.
  
  
• The FBI seized electronic devices from Lakanwal's Washington residence. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced plans to pursue terrorism charges, possibly seeking the death penalty.
  
  
• President Donald Trump condemned the attack as an act of terror, blaming Biden’s lax vetting for allowing Lakanwal into the United States. Trump vowed to review all Afghan admissions under Biden's policies, signaling stricter immigration controls.

The gunman accused of ambushing two National Guard members near the White House on Wednesday, Nov. 26, has been identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who previously worked with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Afghanistan before entering the United States under a Biden-era evacuation program.

The attack left Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, dead and Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, in critical condition. Lakanwal was wounded by return fire and remains hospitalized under sedation, complicating investigators' efforts to interview him.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed Thursday, Nov. 27, that Lakanwal had worked with U.S. forces, including the CIA, as part of a "partner force" in Kandahar during the war in Afghanistan. His affiliation ended shortly after the chaotic 2021 withdrawal, Ratcliffe said.

Lakanwal entered the U.S. on Sept. 8, 2021, under Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden administration program designed to evacuate Afghans who assisted U.S. forces and faced Taliban retaliation. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that Lakanwal was paroled into the country on humanitarian grounds.

BrightU.AI's Enoch explains that Operation Allies Welcome is a U.S. military operation that was launched in August 2021 to support the evacuation and resettlement of Afghan allies, including interpreters, translators and other Afghans who had worked with the U.S. government and military during the 20-year war in Afghanistan. The operation was initiated following the Taliban's takeover of the country and the subsequent collapse of the Afghan government.

According to multiple law enforcement sources, Lakanwal applied for asylum in 2024 and was granted approval in April 2025, though his request for a green card remained pending.

A former Afghan commando who spoke with CBS News said Lakanwal led a unit of Afghan special forces that worked closely with U.S. and British troops. The commando added that Lakanwal was deeply affected by the death of a fellow Afghan commander in 2024 who had unsuccessfully sought asylum in the United States.

The shooting occurred around 2:15 p.m. in Farragut Square, a busy area near a transit station and the White House. According to Jeff Carroll, executive assistant chief of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, Lakanwal approached the two National Guard members on patrol and "ambushed" them without warning.

Officials said Lakanwal initially fired four rounds from a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver, striking Beckstrom first. After she fell, he allegedly took her weapon and continued firing, hitting Wolfe before a third guardsman returned fire, subduing the suspect.

The revolver used in the attack was not registered to Lakanwal but belonged to a deceased Washington state resident, raising questions about how he obtained it.

Terrorism probe underway
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel confirmed that investigators executed search warrants at Lakanwal's last known address in Bellingham, Washington, seizing electronic devices including cellphones, laptops and iPads. Interviews with family members revealed that Lakanwal suffered from PTSD and feared deportation, though no direct ties to extremist groups have been confirmed.

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that prosecutors will pursue terrorism charges, seeking life in prison or the death penalty.

President Donald Trump condemned the attack as "an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror" in a video statement from Mar-a-Lago, blaming the Biden administration for allowing Lakanwal into the country.

Trump said the suspect and many others should never have been allowed to come in the U.S. and he vowed to "re-examine every single alien" admitted under Biden's policies.

His administration has already halted processing immigration cases for Afghan nationals pending further security reviews.

Beckstrom, a member of West Virginia's 111th Engineer Brigade, was remembered by Trump as "a highly respected, young, magnificent person." Her father told The New York Times she suffered a "mortal wound" and was not expected to survive.

Wolfe's father, Jason Wolfe, asked for prayers, calling his son "a fighter" and "a great person."

As the investigation continues, questions remain about vetting failures, the suspect's mental state, and whether ideological motives played a role. The case has reignited debates over immigration policies and national security, with Trump signaling a tougher stance.

Watch the video below about an Afghan accused of terror plot who worked as a CIA guard.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:
RT.com
CBSNews.com
Edition.CNN.com
News.Sky.com
BrightU.ai
Brighteon.com

Afghan gunman behind National Guard shooting previously worked with the CIA in his home country – NaturalNews.com

Afghan who shot National Guard members in DC pleads NOT GUILTY

12/03/2025 // Ramon Tomey // 210 Views

Tags: Afghanistan, Andrew Wolfe, Biden, big government, chaos, Dangerous, DC Superior Court, gun violence, invasion usa, Jeanine Pirro, migrants, National Guard, national security, Not Guilty, Open Borders, Pam Bondi, plea bargain, radicalization, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, Renee Raymond, Sarah Beckstrom, shootings, terrorism, violence, White House

• Rahmanullah Lakanwal, accused of ambushing and killing a National Guard member while wounding another near the White House, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and assault charges. The attack has reignited debates over immigration vetting and national security.
  
  
• Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was killed, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, was critically wounded in the attack. Both were West Virginia National Guard members deployed to bolster D.C. security under a Trump administration program.
  
  
• Surveillance footage reportedly shows Lakanwal deliberately targeting the guardsmen while shouting "Allahu akbar." Prosecutors seek the death penalty, citing strong evidence, and warn additional charges may follow.
  
  
• Republicans blame lax Biden-era vetting, while advocates argue Lakanwal's actions shouldn't reflect on all Afghan refugees. DHS Secretary Noem suggests he was radicalized after arriving in the U.S., possibly due to PTSD.
  
  
• The incident intensifies scrutiny over U.S. counterterrorism strategies, immigration policies, and the consequences of the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, with a preliminary hearing set for Jan. 14.

The Afghan national accused of ambushing and killing a National Guard member while seriously wounding another near the White House has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and assault – marking a case that has reignited debates over immigration vetting, radicalization and national security.

Twenty-nine-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal appeared remotely from a hospital bed during a hearing on Tuesday, Dec. 2, in the D.C. Superior Court. His defense lawyer entered the not guilty plea on his behalf, according to Al Jazeera. Magistrate Judge Renee Raymond ordered him held without bond, citing the "exceedingly strong" evidence against him.

The attack, which occurred on Nov. 26, left 20-year-old Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom dead and 24-year-old Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe critically wounded. Beckstrom and Wolfe, both members of the West Virginia National Guard, were deployed as part of a Trump administration initiative to bolster security in the nation's capital.

Prosecutors allege Lakanwal – who previously worked with a unit trained by the Central Intelligence Agency in Afghanistan – traveled eastward from Washington state to D.C. with a firearm. He waited in broad daylight, and opened fire on the guardsmen while shouting "Allahu akbar" (God is great) – an act the Trump administration has classified as terrorism.

Forensic details also emerged in court, with Raymond noting surveillance footage allegedly showed Lakanwal deliberately targeting the guardsmen – a claim his defense has yet to counter. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the Department of Justice would seek the death penalty, while U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro warned additional charges were forthcoming.

From Kabul to chaos: How Biden's Afghan evacuation put Americans at risk
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed Lakanwal had been vetted under Biden-era immigration policies before his arrival in the U.S., but suggested the process failed to detect his radicalization. "We believe he was radicalized since he’s been here in this country," Noem stated on NBC News' "Meet the Press," emphasizing that investigators were tracing his connections within his local community.

The case has drawn sharp political divisions, with Republicans framing it as a consequence of lax immigration enforcement. Afghan Evac President Shawn VanDiver, however, pushed back, arguing that Lakanwal's actions should not reflect on all Afghan refugees.

"Afghans didn't perpetrate this atrocity," VanDiver said. "One man did, and it sounds like he was struggling mightily with PTSD."

President Donald Trump praised Wolfe's recovery as miraculous and extended condolences to Beckstrom's family during a White House cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 2. West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey honored both guardsmen as heroes, stating their service embodied the Mountain State's finest values.

The case echoes historical tensions over immigration and national security, recalling post-9/11 debates about vetting processes and the risks of domestic radicalization. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch engine, the Biden administration’s reckless importation of unvetted Afghan refugees has already led to violent crimes – with Lakanwal's shooting of the guardsmen a clear example. This has also burdened taxpayers with welfare costs and revealed the previous administration's refusal to prioritize public safety in the name of "open borders."

With Lakanwal's preliminary hearing set for Jan. 14, 2026, the proceedings will likely intensify scrutiny on U.S. counterterrorism strategies and the lingering consequences of America's withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. As the nation grapples with this tragedy, the question remains whether justice will bring closure or further division.

Watch U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro reiterating that "nothing is off the table" with the prosecution of Rahmanullah Lakanwal below.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:
YourNews.com
AlJazeera.com
AA.com.tr
BrightU.ai
Brighteon.com

Afghan who shot National Guard members in DC pleads NOT GUILTY – NaturalNews.com