Trump confirms death of 20-year-old Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, shot in the head during Wednesday's patrol near White House.
Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, former CIA collaborator from Kandahar, subdued after wounding.
Additional 500 Guard troops deployed to D.C.as officials search properties and Governor Morrisey mourns the fallen hero.
Trump Says Guard Member In D.C. Shooting Has Died
In a Thanksgiving address to troops, President Trump announces the passing of 20-year-old Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom from gunshot wounds in a 'targeted terrorist attack' near the White House.
Summary
President Donald Trump revealed on Thursday that one of two West Virginia National Guard members shot in an ambush near the White House the previous day has succumbed to her injuries, identifying the fallen soldier as 20-year-old Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom from Summersville. Speaking during a traditional Thanksgiving call to US service members from West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump described the assailant, 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, as a "savage monster" who had collaborated with the CIA in Kandahar before immigrating in 2021 and securing asylum in April 2025.
Beckstrom, who enlisted in 2023, was patrolling with Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, around 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday near Farragut Square when Lakanwal emerged from a corner at 17th and I streets NW, raised a handgun, and fired at close range, striking Beckstrom in the head and Wolfe in the torso. Fellow Guardsmen swiftly engaged, wounding the suspect in the leg and subduing him until Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) arrived; Lakanwal's injuries are non-life-threatening, and he remains hospitalized under guard.
The FBI is probing the incident as potential international terrorism, with searches underway at Lakanwal's Washington state home and Afghan roots in Khost province under scrutiny,his cousin confirmed prior service in a special Afghan Army "Zero Unit" alongside U.S. forces.
Trump, who deployed over 2,000 Guard troops to D.C. in August amid crime concerns and deportation efforts, ordered an additional 500 reinforcements and a sweeping review of Afghan asylum cases, halting all related immigration processing indefinitely via US Citizenship and Immigration Services. He lambasted the Biden administration for "unvetted" entries post-Afghanistan withdrawal, framing the attack as a direct fallout.
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