United States President, Donald Trump has confirmed that one of the two National Guard troops shot near the White House has died, while the other soldier is “fighting for his life.”
Trump announced on Friday morning , November 28, that Sarah Beckstrom, a member of the West Virginia National Guard, succumbed to the wounds she sustained in the double shooting on Wednesday, which occurred a short distance from the White House. The soldiers were reportedly ambushed.
Trump hailed 20-year-old Beckstrom as a “highly respected, young, magnificent person.” He stated that her fellow serviceman, 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, remains in critical condition. “He’s in very bad shape,” Trump said as he addressed troops in a video call to mark the Thanksgiving holiday in the US.
Authorities have named Rahmanaullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, as the main suspect in the attack on the two National Guard members.
The CIA confirmed that Lakanwal had worked for the US spy agency in Afghanistan before immigrating to the US in 2021, shortly after the withdrawal of Western forces from the country.
Beckstrom had joined West Virginia’s National Guard two years ago after leaving high school. She was on patrol with Wolfe on Wednesday afternoon when, authorities say, they were ambushed by the assailant.
US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said on Thursday that prosecutors would pursue first-degree murder charges against Lakanwal should either or both of the victims not survive the gun attack.
“We are praying that they survive and that the highest charge will not have to be murder in the first degree,” Pirro said. “But make no mistake, if they do not, that will certainly be the charge.”
Following the attack, the Trump administration announced it was conducting a sweeping review of green cards issued to individuals who immigrated to the US from 19 countries, including Afghanistan.
On Thursday night, the president ordered a “full scale, rigorous re-examination of every green card for every alien from every country of concern,” according to Joseph Edlow, the head of US Citizenship and Immigration Services.