President Donald Trump said Thursday that one of the two West Virginia National Guard members shot near the White House by an Afghan national has died, describing the suspect as a “savage monster.”
Trump told U.S. troops during a Thanksgiving call that Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, had succumbed to her injuries, while Staff Sgt Andrew Wolfe, 24, remained in critical condition.
“She’s just passed away. She’s no longer with us,” Trump said, calling Beckstrom an “incredible person” and noting that he had spoken with her parents.
The president labeled the incident a “terrorist attack” and blamed the previous administration for allowing Afghans who worked with U.S. forces during the Afghanistan war to resettle in the United States. He held up a photo of Afghan evacuees from the 2021 Kabul airlift and suggested the shooter had suffered mental trauma after the war.
Authorities identified the suspect as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a former member of a CIA-backed Afghan Army unit. He arrived in the U.S. in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome and later applied for asylum, which was approved under Trump’s tenure, according to the advocacy group #AfghanEvac.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Lakanwal used a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver in what she described as an “ambush-style” attack. He initially faced charges of assault with intent to kill and weapons violations, which are expected to be upgraded following Beckstrom’s death. The suspect was also wounded but was not believed to be in life-threatening condition.
The rare attack on National Guard members on American soil has sparked renewed debate over the administration’s deployment of troops in U.S. cities. Nearly 2,200 Guard members are currently stationed in Washington, where they have been patrolling streets, transit hubs and checkpoints. After the shooting, officials ordered an additional 500 troops to the capital.
Details emerging from Afghanistan show Lakanwal previously served in the CIA-supported Zero Units, which played a frontline role in the war and the chaotic U.S. withdrawal. Sources said he had been a team leader and GPS specialist and had worked in the conflict-heavy province of Kandahar.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe said Lakanwal’s connection with the U.S. government ended shortly after the 2021 evacuation.
Lakanwal had been living in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children, according to his former landlord.
Following the shooting, Trump called for a review of all Afghan refugees admitted under the previous administration. The director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, said the agency would impose additional screening measures for people from 19 “high-risk” countries, though he did not specify which ones.