National Guard member wounded in D.C. shooting is “fighting for his life,” Trump says

Courtesy: CBS

One of the two West Virginia National Guard members who was wounded Wednesday in what authorities described as an ambush-style shooting in Washington, D.C., is “fighting for his life,” President Trump said Thursday, after announcing the other Guard member who was shot had died.

Mr. Trump told reporters Thursday evening that 20-year-old Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom died in the hospital.

“Right now I heard that Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, one of the guardsmen that we’re talking about, highly respected, young, magnificent person, started service in June of 2023, outstanding in every way, she has just passed away,” Mr. Trump said.

The West Virginia National Guard confirmed in a statement that she died at MedStar Washington Hospital “as a result of wounds incurred during the shooting.”

A White House official said the president spoke with Beckstrom’s parents Thursday evening.

Earlier Thursday, U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro said the second victim, 24-year-old Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, was in critical condition after undergoing surgery.

Mr. Trump told reporters that Wolfe is “fighting for his life, he’s in very bad shape.”

“Hopefully, we’ll get better news in respect to him,” Mr. Trump added.

Mr. Trump also said the suspect in the shooting, previously identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was in serious condition.

Pirro said Thursday that both Guard members had been sworn into Guard duty less than 24 hours before the attack. The National Guard’s joint task force for the district later clarified that the two had been serving in the district since August, and they were deputized before the attack to maintain their status to conduct patrols.

Although they were deputized for deployment, the two Guard members were not operating as law enforcement and did not have arrest powers, multiple sources familiar with the investigation told CBS News Wednesday night.

Beckstrom hailed “a hero,” volunteered for D.C. deployment

Beckstrom is from Summersville, West Virginia, and had served in the Guard since June 2023, according to a statement from the West Virginia National Guard. She graduated in 2023 from Webster County High School in Upperglade, West Virginia, and had volunteered to serve in the Trump administration’s D.C. National Guard deployment.

She was assigned to the 863rd Military Police Company, 111th Engineer Brigade at the time of the shooting.

“Her loss is felt profoundly across our One Guard Family and throughout the Mountain State,” the West Virginia National Guard said in its statement.

“This is a devastating loss to our National Guard family. She is a hero and we mourn her passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with her loved ones and with the West Virginia National Guard,” Col. Larry Doane, commander of the Joint Task Force District of Columbia, said in a separate statement.

Wolfe has served in West Virginia National Guard since 2019

Wolfe is from Martinsburg, West Virginia, and has served in the Guard since February 2019, according to the West Virginia National Guard. He was assigned to Force Support Squadron, 167th Airlift Wing.

A spokesperson for Berkeley County Schools in West Virginia told The Associated Press that Wolfe graduated from Musselman High School in 2019. His principal, Alicia Riggleman, described him to The AP in a statement as “an active, engaged, and high-achieving student.”