The heart of Washington, D.C., was rocked on November 27, 2025, by a brazen and tragic shooting that left one National Guard member dead and another fighting for his life. The attack, which unfolded in broad daylight just blocks from the White House, has ignited fierce debate over immigration policy, national security, and the ongoing deployment of National Guard troops in the nation’s capital.
Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, only 20 years old and a member of the West Virginia National Guard, was killed in the ambush. Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, also from West Virginia, remains hospitalized in critical condition. According to the Associated Press, both soldiers had been stationed in Washington since August as part of President Donald Trump’s high-profile crime-fighting mission, which saw nearly 2,200 Guard members from various states dispatched to the city—a controversial move that has drawn both praise and criticism.
The shooting occurred in the early afternoon near Farragut Square, a bustling downtown area frequented by office workers and tourists alike. Authorities say the two soldiers were on a high-visibility patrol when they were targeted in what U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro described as an “ambush-style” attack. Surveillance video reviewed by police showed the assailant, identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, rounding a corner and immediately opening fire with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver. At least one Guard member returned fire, and nearby troops quickly subdued and apprehended the shooter, who sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the process.
President Trump addressed the nation’s shock and sorrow during a Thanksgiving video call with U.S. service members, stating, “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.” He later spoke with Beckstrom’s parents, according to CBS News. Staff Sgt. Wolfe, meanwhile, remains “in very bad shape,” the president added, underscoring the gravity of the incident.
Beckstrom’s commitment to service was evident from the outset. She had graduated from Webster County High School in June 2023 and enlisted in the National Guard that same month, serving as a military police officer “with distinction,” according to the West Virginia National Guard. “She exemplified leadership, dedication, and professionalism,” the Guard noted in a statement. Wolfe, a 2019 graduate of Musselman High School, was described by his principal as “an active, engaged, and high-achieving student who embodied the Applemen spirit, contributing positively to our school community both academically and athletically.”
The suspect, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is an Afghan national who entered the United States in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden administration program designed to resettle Afghans at risk after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. According to Al Jazeera and the BBC, Lakanwal had previously worked alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan, including a stint with the CIA-backed Kandahar Strike Force—locally known as the Scorpion Forces—and played a role in providing security during the chaotic evacuation from Kabul airport in 2021.
John Ratcliffe, former CIA director, confirmed Lakanwal’s association with U.S. partner forces in Kandahar, though the exact nature of his work remains unclear. Lakanwal’s cousin, speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said he started as a security guard for the elite Zero Units in 2012 and eventually became a team leader and GPS specialist. These units, heavily involved in front-line fighting and intelligence operations, were pivotal during the final days of the U.S. presence in Afghanistan, but have also faced allegations of abuses by human rights activists.
After arriving in the U.S., Lakanwal settled in Washington state with his wife and five children. He applied for asylum in 2024 and his application was approved earlier in 2025, according to officials cited by the BBC. The attack has reignited fierce debate over the vetting process for Afghan refugees and immigrants more broadly. While supporters of Operation Allies Welcome argue that the program offered a vital lifeline to those at risk of Taliban reprisals, critics—including President Trump and many Republicans—have pointed to perceived gaps in the screening process and the speed of admissions as potential security risks.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, President Trump announced a “full scale, rigorous re-examination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern,” as reported by Al Jazeera and BBC News. Joseph Edlow, head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, confirmed that the review would focus on 19 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, and Venezuela. “We are scrutinising green cards to see if perhaps people might have been given permission to reside and to work in the United States [who] really should have been denied that privilege, as the administration calls it,” Al Jazeera’s Rosiland Jordan explained.
Legal proceedings against Lakanwal are moving swiftly. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced that he faces charges of assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. Should Wolfe not survive, prosecutors are prepared to pursue first-degree murder charges. “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: murder in the first degree.” Attorney General Pam Bondi went further, telling Fox News that her office would seek the death penalty, calling Lakanwal a “monster who should not have been in our country.”
The incident has also prompted a new surge in troop deployments. President Trump announced on November 27 that 500 additional National Guard members would be sent to the capital, though it remains unclear which states will provide the reinforcements. As of early November, the D.C. National Guard had 949 members on the ground, with additional contingents from states such as Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama.
The shooting has laid bare the complex intersections of immigration policy, national security, and the responsibilities of those who serve. For many, the tragedy is a stark reminder of the risks faced by service members—even on home soil—and the far-reaching consequences of America’s foreign policy decisions. As the city mourns Specialist Beckstrom and holds out hope for Staff Sgt. Wolfe’s recovery, the nation faces urgent questions about how best to balance compassion, security, and the rule of law.
While the investigation continues and the political debate intensifies, the lives of two young soldiers—and the community that supported them—remain at the center of a story that has shaken the capital to its core.
