One in two National Guard members wounded in ‘targeted shooting’ has died, Trump says

U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, one of two West Virginia National Guard members wounded in a “targeted shooting” near the White House on Wednesday, has died, President Donald Trump said Thursday.

Trump made the announcement while calling up the US military on Thanksgiving Day.

Beckstrom, 20, was a “young, magnificent, highly respected person,” Trump said. “She just passed away. She is no longer with us. She’s looking at us right now. Her parents are with her. “It just happened.”

The other injured National Guard member, Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition.

“The other young man is fighting for his life,” Trump said. “He’s in very bad shape. He’s fighting for his life.”

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor in the nation’s capital, posted a statement on social media following Trump’s announcement.

“Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of Sarah Beckstrom, 20, of the National Guard, a hero who volunteered to serve in DC on Thanksgiving for people she never met and who made the ultimate sacrifice,” Pirro said in the post. “May he rest in peace. The time has come to avenge his death and obtain justice.”

Earlier Thursday, federal officials revealed more details about the attack and the alleged shooter.

The shooting took place around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday near the Farragut West subway station.

Pirro said the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, drove from Washington state to attack the guard members.

He said the suspect, an Afghan national, ambushed Guard members and opened fire with a .357 Smith. & Wesson revolver.

“One guard is hit, falls and then the shooter leans down and hits the guard again. Another guard is hit multiple times,” he said.

Other National Guard members responded quickly and helped subdue the suspected shooter after he was shot by a Guard member, he said.

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey went to D.C. on Wednesday night and visited Guard members in the hospital overnight, according to his office.

“I ask all West Virginians to pray for our two guardsmen as their families, friends and neighbors grapple with this unspeakable tragedy,” Morrisey said in a statement.

The governor also met with the president to discuss the investigation.

“These events demand a thorough investigation so we can bring those responsible to justice. We will continue to work closely with federal authorities to obtain clear answers,” Morrisey said.

In an interview on Thanksgiving, Morrisey told ABC News affiliate WJLA in D.C. that the two guardsmen had volunteered for their mission in the nation’s capital.

The governor said he spoke with Trump and senior administration officials the night of the shooting about the ongoing investigation.

“They want to have a full investigation and they want to get to the bottom of this. I think people want justice, they want accountability, and that’s an issue that is shared at the highest levels of the administration,” Morrisey said. “And I think everyone is disgusted to death by what’s happening, but now we have to show respect and go through the judicial process, uphold the rule of law and make sure that in the end there is accountability for what has been done.”

Morrisey said the West Virginia National Guard is proud of its mission in Washington.

“The guards who are here volunteered for the mission. They are people who wanted to serve because they know the mission was good,” he said. “People were working to reduce crime. Well, they were succeeding in their mission. One of the conversations I had with the president was about that very point where their mission was succeeding. The Guard knew that was happening. So this is something that matters a lot. It’s our nation’s capital. So people were very excited about it.”

Brig. Gen. Leland D. Blanchard II, commander of the D.C. National Guard, became emotional as he spoke of the struggles the Beckstrom and Wolfe families faced as other Americans celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday.

“Regardless of the outcome, we know that their lives, their family fortunes, their families, their lives were changed forever because one person decided to do this horrible, evil thing,” he said.

Pirro said the suspect will be charged with several charges, including assault with intent to injure and criminal possession of a weapon. He noted that those charges could change depending on the fate of the injured guards.

The suspect’s motive is still unclear, according to officials at a news conference.

FBI Director Kash Patel told reporters that the investigation is an “ongoing terrorism investigation.”

Investigators searched the suspect’s home in Bellingham, Washington, and interviewed the tenants to obtain more information, according to Patel. Patel also said interviews were taking place in San Diego, but declined to provide further details.

He noted that the FBI received confirmation from the Department of Defense and the CIA “that the subject had a relationship in Afghanistan with associated forces.”

“We are thoroughly investigating that aspect of his background as well, to include any known associates who are overseas or here in the United States of America,” Patel said.

Lakanwal, who Pirro said had a wife and five children, arrived in the United States in 2021 under the Biden administration, Homeland Security’s Kristi Noem said in a statement Wednesday night.

He applied for asylum in 2024 and was granted that status in April of this year, under the Trump administration, according to three law enforcement sources.

“He previously worked with the United States government, including the CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar that ended in 2021 following the withdrawal from Afghanistan,” CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in a statement.

“[The suspect] would have been tested against classified and unclassified possessions when he came here and as part of the asylum process,” said ABC News contributor John Cohen, former Department of Homeland Security intelligence chief and former US counterterrorism coordinator.

“He was actually granted asylum under the Trump administration… This raises the question of whether the administration is focusing enough on terrorist threats versus civil immigration enforcement.”

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump are spending Thanksgiving at their Mar-a-Lago club in Florida and were not at the White House at the time of the incident.

Trump released a video statement Wednesday night calling the shooting an “act of hate” and ordering the re-examination of all Afghan immigrants admitted under the Biden administration.

He also ordered 500 additional Guard troops to be deployed to DC. Trump planned to make a traditional phone call to members of the military Thursday night, but it was not immediately known if he would speak to any members of the National Guard.

The National Guard was deployed to the nation’s capital as part of Trump’s federal takeover of the city and crime crackdown in August. As of the most recent update, there were 2,188 Guard troops assigned to D.C.

On Tuesday, during the traditional turkey pardon at the White House, Trump touted his administration’s takeover of the streets of DC. He said it was “one of the most unsafe places in the United States. It is now considered a totally safe city.”

“You could walk down any street in Washington and you’ll be fine. And I want to thank the National Guard. I want to thank them for the job they’ve done here, which is incredible,” Trump said at the event.

ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway and Alex Presha contributed to this report.