National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom dies after Washington DC shooting, US president confirms

National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom has died from injuries sustained in the shooting near the White House on Wednesday. Her death was confirmed by President Donald Trump during his first public remarks since the attack.

Trump said Beckstrom, a 20-year-old member of the West Virginia National Guard, had succumbed to her injuries, describing her as a “highly respected and remarkable young woman.” Beckstrom was one of two guardsmen reportedly targeted in the shooting. The second member, Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition and is fighting for his life, according to Trump.

Both guardsmen were among the hundreds of West Virginia National Guard personnel deployed to Washington as part of Trump’s ongoing security operation in the capital, reports said.

West Virginia governor Patrick Morrisey also acknowledged Beckstrom’s death in a social media post, praising her courage, dedication and sense of duty. According to state records, Beckstrom, a resident of Webster Springs, joined the National Guard in June 2023.

Authorities have identified the suspected shooter as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29. As per officials, Lakanwal arrived in the United States from Afghanistan in September 2021 under a special entry program for Afghans who assisted the US government. Reuters has reported that he was granted asylum earlier this year and had previously worked with CIA-supported military units during the Afghanistan war, a detail the CIA has confirmed.

The investigation into the attack is ongoing, and no further details about the motive have been released so far.Washington national guard attacker worked with US military in Afghanistan

A gunman who critically wounded two US National Guard members near the White House had worked with the US military during the war in Afghanistan.

The CIA confirmed that the 29-year-old suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is an Afghan national who worked with a US-supported military unit during the war in Afghanistan.

He entered the US in September 2021 through a Biden-era immigration program designed for Afghans who assisted US forces.

Officials also revealed on Thursday that he drove more than 4,000 kilometres across the country to carry out the attack.

Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney in Washington, DC, said that the suspect left his home in Bellingham, Washington, and drove his vehicle across the United States with the intention of committing the attack. She also revealed that the attacker used a .357 revolver to shoot Guard members on Wednesday afternoon.

Both soldiers, identified as Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe of the West Virginia National Guard, are in their 20s and remain in critical condition.

The shooting took place less than 500 metres from the White House. Trump was not in the capital and is visiting Florida for the Thanksgiving holiday.

FBI Director Kash Patel said agents were interviewing witnesses and executing search warrants “here in DC and at multiple locations on the West Coast.”

After officials confirmed the suspect’s nationality late Wednesday, US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a temporary pause on processing immigration applications from Afghanistan, affecting asylum seekers, green-card applicants, and Afghans trying to enter the United States. There are approximately 2,400 National Guard troops currently deployed in Washington, which includes around 958 from the DC National Guard and about 1,300 from eight other states.