Trump says one National Guard member in Washington shooting has died

WASHINGTON – One member of the West Virginia National Guard who was shot in the attack near the White House in Washington, DC, died after being in critical condition, President Donald Trump said on Nov 27.

US Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, originally from Webster Springs, West Virginia, was shot on Nov 26, along with US Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, who remains in critical condition.

“As you know, the other young man is fighting for his life,” Mr Trump said during a call with several service members. “He’s in very bad shape. He’s fighting for his life, and hopefully we’ll get better news with respect to him.”

The federal authorities have identified the suspected shooter as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who previously worked with US forces and the Central Intelligence Agency in Afghanistan before arriving in the US in 2021. He was subdued shortly after the shooting and taken into custody. Mr Trump said he is in serious condition.

Attorney-General Pam Bondi said on Nov 27 that she would seek the death penalty for Lakanwal if either of the shooting victims died. The federal authorities have launched a sprawling, nationwide terrorism investigation into this attack that included searches in Washington state and California. 

Ms Beckstrom began her military service in June 2023. She and Mr Wolfe had been in Washington since the beginning of the National Guard deployment in the US capital in August.

Ms Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for DC, said at a press conference earlier on Nov 27 that the suspect is currently facing three charges of intent to kill while armed. 

Mr Trump, Vice-President J.D. Vance and others in the administration quickly blamed the Biden administration for letting Lakanwal into the US and seized on the case to push for deeper immigration curbs, including halting reviews of Afghan immigration proceedings and ordering a review of those already in the US.

That raises the prospect that settlement rights for Afghan allies of US forces may be curtailed.

“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,” Mr Trump said in a recorded video address published by the White House on Nov 26.

On Nov 27, Mr Joseph Edlow, head of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, said in a social media post that his agency, under Mr Trump’s orders, is conducting “a full scale, rigorous re-examination of every green card for every alien from every country of concern”. He did not name specific countries. Bloomberg