DC National Guard shooting suspect to be charged with first-degree murder, Pirro says
The suspect in the “targeted” shooting of two National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C., will now face charges upgraded to first-degree murder after President Donald Trump announced the death of one of the victims late Thursday, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said Friday. “There are certainly many more charges to come, but…
The suspect in the “targeted” shooting of two National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C., will now face charges upgraded to first-degree murder after President Donald Trump announced the death of one of the victims late Thursday, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said Friday.
“There are certainly many more charges to come, but we are upgrading the initial charges of assault to murder in the first degree,” Pirro said Friday morning on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends.”
The suspected gunman, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was previously charged with three counts of assault with the intent to kill while armed and criminal possession of a weapon, officials said during a press conference on Thursday.
National Guard members Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe.
U.S. Department of Justice
Lakanwal is accused of firing at two National Guard members, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom and 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, on Wednesday afternoon.
The suspect allegedly “opened fire without provocation, ambush style,” struck one of the victims, leaned over and shot the individual again, before firing at the other National Guard member “several times,” Pirro said on Thursday.
Video obtained by The Wall Street Journal shows the moment of the shooting. The footage briefly shows Lakanwal brandishing a gun before he runs off-camera. A National Guardsmen can also be seen in the video running and reloading his gun.
Video obtained by The Wall Street Journal shows the moment Rahmanullah Lakanwal opened fire at two National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 26, 2025.
Obtained by The Wall Street Journal
Trump announced on Thursday evening that Beckstrom, an Army specialist, had died.
“She’s just passed away. She’s no longer with us. She’s looking down at us right now,” Trump said of Beckstrom. “Her parents are with her. It’s just happened.”
U.S. service members line the streets of Washington, D.C., during an honor escort, also known as a fallen soldier procession, for U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom of the West Virginia National Guard, Nov. 27, 2025.
Billy Blankenship/Joint Task Force DC
Andrew Wolfe, a U.S. Air Force staff sergeant, 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.”
The shooting took place around 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday near the Farragut West Metro station.
Pirro said the suspect, an Afghan national, allegedly drove from Washington state to target the guard members, opening fire with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
U.S. Department of Justice
The suspect’s motive is still unclear, according to officials.
A search warrant was conducted at the suspect’s home in Bellingham, Washington, where officials found “numerous electronic devices,” FBI Director Kash Patel said on Thursday.
Patel also noted the FBI received confirmation from the Department of Defense and CIA “that the subject had a relationship in Afghanistan with partner forces.”
FBI Director Kash Patel speaks during a press conference with U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro and other authorities about the shooting of two National Guard members, in Washington, D.C., Nov. 27, 2025.
Nathan Howard/Reuters
“We are fully investigating that aspect of his background as well, to include any known associates that are either overseas or here in the United States of America,” Patel said.
Lakanwal is believed to be from Afghanistan and came to the United States in 2021 under the Biden administration, law enforcement sources said. He applied for asylum in 2024 and was granted asylum in April, likely after being vetted, under the Trump administration, according to the sources.
A makeshift memorial has been set up in honor of the two National Guard service members shot near the Farragut West Metro Station in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 28, 2025, two days after a shooting killed one National Guard member and critically wounded another.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
The suspect, who has a wife, five children and a brother in the U.S., allegedly had been unable to find a job because he had an expired work permit, according to a source familiar with the suspect’s circumstance.
Lakanwal, who had become more isolated the past few months and was growing desperate, could not pay rent or food and was relying on others, the source added.
People place flowers in a makeshift memorial set up after two National Guard members were shot, near the White House, in Washington, D.C., Nov. 28, 2025.
Nathan Howard/Reuters
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. According to the most recent update, there were 2,188 National Guard personnel assigned to D.C.
A day before the shooting, during the traditional turkey pardoning at the White House, Trump touted his administration’s takeover of D.C. streets. He said it was “one of our most unsafe places anywhere in the United States. It is now considered a totally safe city.”
“You could walk down any street in Washington and you’re going to be just fine. And I want to thank the National Guard. I want to thank you for the job you’ve done here is incredible,” Trump said at the event.
ABC News’ Martha Raddatz contributed to this report.