Newsman: Two National Guard members were shot Wednesday afternoon in what officials called an ambush near the White House. The victims are in critical condition, FBI Director Kash Patel said. Both victims were shot in the head, according to a U.S. official and a senior official directly briefed on the investigation. The mayor of Washington, D.C., said the shooting was a “targeted attack.”
The two National Guard members who were shot during an attack on Wednesday near the White House have been identified as Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, according to The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro .
Jeanine Pirro made the announcement on Thursday. The National Guard members have undergone surgery, she said, and remain in critical condition.
The suspect has been identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, four senior U.S. law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation NBC Newsrreportd. The suspect was also identified as an Afghan national from Bellingham, Washington.
He used a handgun and the shooting is being investigated as a possible act of terrorism, the U.S. law enforcement officials said.
In a speech from Palm Beach, Florida, where he is spending the Thanksgiving holiday, Trump said on Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security “is confident” the suspect being held in connection with the shooting entered the United States from Afghanistan. He declared the shooting a “heinous assault” and an “act of terror.”
The president repeatedly used anti-immigrant rhetoric and reiterated that the suspect in the shooting will pay the “steepest possible price.” He called Afghanistan “a hell-hole on Earth” and said the suspect was “flown in by the Biden administration in September 2021.”
Trump claimed that the Biden administration let in “20 million unknown and unvetted foreigners” and said the U.S. must “re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden.”
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump are spending Thanksgiving at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida and were not at the White House during the time of the incident.
Trump released a video statement Wednesday night calling the shooting an “act of hatred,” and ordering the reexamination of all Afghan immigrants admitted under the Biden administration.
He also ordered an additional 500 Guard troops to be deployed to D.C. Trump planned on making a traditional phone call to members of the military Thursday night, but it was not immediately known if he would speak to any National Guard members.
Following his speech, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that processing of immigration requests for Afghan nationals “is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols.”
A man turned a corner and fired at the guard members, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Executive Assistant Chief of Specialized Operations Jeffery Carroll said.
“This is a targeted shooting,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said.
The victims were shot just before 2:30 p.m., right next to Farragut Square Park and two blocks north of the White House.
The scene at 17th and I streets NW has been secured and the suspect is in custody, MPD said on social media just before 3 p.m. Police believe there was only one suspect in the shooting.
The two National Guard members who were shot are both from West Virginia, the state’s governor, Patrick Morrisey, said.
In a statement, Morrisey initially said the victims had died, but in an update minutes later, he said there were conflicting reports.
“It is with great sorrow that we can confirm both members of the West Virginia National Guard who were shot earlier today in Washington, DC have passed away from their injuries,” Morrisey said in a statement posted to social media about 3:42 p.m. “These brave West Virginians lost their lives in the service of their country. We are in ongoing contact with federal officials as the investigation continues.”
However, Morrisey posted again at 4:04 p.m., less than 25 minutes later: “We are now receiving conflicting reports about the condition of our two Guard members and will provide additional updates once we receive more complete information. Our prayers are with these brave service members, their families, and the entire Guard community.”
Morrisey did not immediately say what agency or individuals were providing him information on the National Guard members’ conditions.
Back in August, President Donald Trump issued an executive order declaring a crime emergency in Washington, D.C. Within a month, more than 2,300 National Guard troops from eight states and D.C. were patrolling the city under the command of the Secretary of the Army. West Virginia committed hundreds of troops in mid-August.
There were 180 members of the West Virginia National Guard on duty in D.C. as of Monday, the Joint Task Force said.
The FBI, the MPD and other authorities shared an update on a shooting near Farragut Square Park that critically injured two National Guard members.
The suspect came around a corner and immediately started firing at the National Guard members, authorities said.
Other guard members in the area heard the gunfire and were able to intervene and hold the suspect after he had been shot within moments. Authorities are investigating who shot the suspect.
Officials didn’t provide any information on a possible motive. There was no information immediately available on the suspect’s name. D.C. police believe they know who he is, but still were working to confirm his identity.
No one else was injured in the shooting.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday morning on Fox News that Beckstrom volunteered to work over the holiday so that others could spend Thanksgiving with their families.
“Yet now, their families are in hospital rooms with them, while they are fighting for their lives,” she said.
Bondi said that if the two guard members did not survive, the Justice Department would “do everything in our power to seek the death penalty” against the suspect, who she said should not have been allowed into the country.
The charges that are brought will depend on what happens to the service members, who are hospitalized, she said. “But worst case scenario, minimum life in prison with terrorism charges.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said the FBI has executed multiple search warrants around the country, including the suspect’s last known residence in Washington State.
All the individuals at the residence have been interviewed and some are ongoing, he said. “We will not stop until we interview anyone and everyone associated with the subject, the house and every piece of his life.”
Kash Patel said that the FBI was also conducting interviews related to the investigation in San Diego.
“This is a coast-to-coast investigation,” Patel said.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said the suspect will be charged with three counts of assault, with intent to kill while armed. He will also be charged with possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. He faces 15 years under the assault with the intent to kill, she said.
Pirro called it a “brazen and targeted attack” carried out by a “lone gunman” who ambushed them without provocation. The gunman used a 357 Smith and Wesson revolver, Pirro said.
The U.S. attorney said the government could bring additional charges, depending on the well-being of the servicemembers, who were in critical condition as of this morning.
“We are praying that they survive and that the highest charge will not have to be murder in the first degree,” she said. “But make no mistake, if they do not, that will certainly be the charge.”
