A second soldier remains in critical condition
01:22, 28 Nov 2025Updated 01:25, 28 Nov 2025
Emergency vehicles gather at a cordoned off area near where National Guard soldiers appear to have been shot near the White House(Image: AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
A national guard who was shot in a targeted attack in Washington DC has tragically died, officials have confirmed. The female member, identified as 20 year old Sarah Beckstrom, succumbed to her injuries, according to Sky News reports.
The second National Guard member, Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains critically ill. Trump announced Sarah’s death during a Thanksgiving call with US service members on Thursday evening (November 27).
He said: “Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, one of the guardsmen that we’re talking about, highly respected, young, magnificent person.
“She’s just passed away. She’s no longer with us… She was savagely attacked. She’s dead.”
Earlier on Thursday, Gary Beckstrom, Sarah’s father, told the New York Times: “She has a mortal wound. It’s not going to be a recovery. I’m holding her hand right now.”, reports the Mirror.
The suspect in the National Guard shooting has been identified as an Afghan national(Image: Getty Images)
Governor Patrick Morrisey paid tribute to Sarah on X, saying: “Sarah served with courage, extraordinary resolve, and an unwavering sense of duty to her state and to her nation. She answered the call to serve, stepped forward willingly, and carried out her mission with the strength and character that define the very best of the West Virginia National Guard.
“Today, we honour her bravery and her sacrifice as we mourn the loss of a young woman who gave everything she had in defense of others. We will forever hold her family, her friends, and her fellow Guardsmen in our prayers as they grieve what no family should ever have to bear.”
The news comes after it has been confirmed that the suspected shooter was an Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal. The incident is being investigated by the FBI as an act of terror.
According to NY Post, Lakanwal was allegedly lying in wait before he rounded the corner near the Farragut West Metro Station in Northwest DC around 2.15pm on Wednesday, November 26 then opened fire, striking a Sarah in the chest before shooting her in the head, according to law enforcement sources.
Following the gunshots the suspect was reportedly shot four times before being taken away nearly naked in an ambulance. West Virginia governor Patrick Morrisey initially said the two guards had died, but later made a correction clarifying that his office was “receiving conflicting reports” about their condition.
The guards were reportedly taken to two separate hospitals and were in critical condition before news of Sarah’s passing.
“They answered the call, they volunteered, they put their lives on the line for people they don’t even know – and that is becoming a reality more and more for members of law enforcement,” US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said.
(Image: AP)
A suspect who was in custody was also shot and had wounds that were not believed to be life-threatening, according to a law enforcement source. Trump has offered his love to the families of those impacted and in a statement to the nation launched a scathing attack at Joe Biden’s presidency and immigration laws.
The US President has branded his predecessor as the ‘worst in the history of our country’ for allowing ’20 million unknown and unvetted foreigners’ into the nation.
Jeffery Carroll, the executive assistant to the Washington police chief, described how the attacker “came around the corner” and immediately began firing at troops approximately two blocks northwest of the White House. Upon hearing the gunfire, other troops in the vicinity rushed over and restrained the gunman.
Trump further stated that the alleged shooter “will pay a very steep price” for his actions. A post from US Citizenship and Immigration Services on X announced: “Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols. The protection and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission.”
An Afghan advocacy group also denounced the attack but emphasised that it should not be used to “isolate or harm” Afghans who have resettled in America.
