National Guard member dies, another critical after Washington shooting: Who are the soldiers?

In the United States, Thanksgiving is a moment of celebration and joy. However, for the Beckstrom family, this Thanksgiving was a sombre moment as they bid adieu to their loved one — Sarah Beckstrom, one of the two National Guard members who died from her injuries after being shot on Wednesday during a shooting incident in Washington, DC close to the White House.

On Thursday (November 27), US President Donald Trump announced the death of 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, hailing her as a “highly respected, young, magnificent person”. He also announced that the other National Guard member, who was shot, “was fighting for his life. He’s in very bad shape”.

As Washington, DC reels from this shooting incident, we take a closer look at the victims and the new details that have emerged.

One National Guard member dead, another ‘fighting for life’

A day after a gunman, now identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, fired shots a small distance away from the White House in Washington, DC, Trump made the announcement that Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, had died from her injuries, while Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, remained hospitalised in critical condition.

Part of the West Virginia National Guard, they were on orders in Washington since August.

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Earlier, Beckstrom’s father, Gary, said that the family was spending Thanksgiving at her bedside, saying goodbye. “I’m holding her hand right now. She has a mortal wound. It’s not going to be a recovery,” he told the New York Times over the phone.

Hailing from Summersville in West Virginia, Beckstrom graduated from Webster County High School and joined the National Guard on June 6, 2023. She was assigned to the 863rd Military Police Company, 111th Engineer Brigade of the West Virginia Army National Guard. Her reason to volunteer for the Washington deployment was to “ensure the safety and security of our nation’s capital,” said the West Virginia National Guard.

“She exemplified leadership, dedication, and professionalism,” the guard said in a statement.

According to Adam Carr, Beckstrom’s former boyfriend, she was “caring and tender-hearted”. He told the New York Times that she dreamed of having a career in the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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Meanwhile, the other member who was attacked during the shooting on Wednesday, Staff Sgt Andrew Wolfe, is fighting for his life in hospital. The 24-year-old from Martinsburg, West Virginia joined the National Guard in February 2019. His father, Jason Wolfe, told CNN that he was “a fighter and a great person”.

According to his school principal, Wolfe was an “an active, engaged, and high-achieving student who embodied the Applemen spirit, contributing positively to our school community both academically and athletically.”

Washington shooting suspect and ties to CIA

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting a small distance away from the White House, other National Guard members subdued the shooter and took him into custody. The man was later identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, who entered the United States in in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome. This was a Biden administration programme that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the chaotic US withdrawal from the country.

According to Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, Lakanwal drove across the country to launch an “ambush-style” attack with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver.

Visuals from the shooting reveal that Lakanwal “came around the corner” and began to fire at the troops. As per one law enforcement official, at least one Guard member exchanged fire with Lakanwal and he was later taken into custody.

Following Lakanwal being taken into custody, it has been revealed that he was part of a “Zero Unit,” a paramilitary force that worked with the CIA in Afghanistan. A friend of Lakanwal told the New York Times, “He would tell me and our friends that their military operations were very tough, their job was very difficult, and they were under a lot of pressure.”

CIA director John Ratcliffe confirming Lakanwal’s link to the agency said on Wednesday, “The Biden administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States in September 2021 due to his prior work with the US government, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar.”

US attorney Pirro previously said that Lakanwal will be charged with assault with intent to kill and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. He faces 15 years in prison under the assault with the intent to kill charge, she added.

However, those charges could change depending on the well-being and recovery of the injured Guard members, she explained further.

At a separate news conference, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the administration will do “everything in our power” to seek the death penalty following the shooting.

She added at a minimum, the alleged suspect could face “life in prison with terrorism charges.”

US to review all immigrant visas after shooting

Following the shooting, US President Trump said the shooting proves that lax migration policies are “the single greatest national security threat facing our nation”. “No country can tolerate such a risk to our very survival,” he said.

In fact, in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it would indefinitely stop processing all immigration requests for Afghan nationals pending a review of security and vetting protocols.

And later, the Trump administration announced that it was reviewing permanent residency status of immigrants from 19 countries, including Afghanistan.

Joseph Edlow, Trump’s director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), said on Thursday that he had ordered a “full scale, rigorous re-examination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.”

His agency later pointed to a list of 19 countries — including Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran and Myanmar — facing travel restrictions under a previous order from Trump in June.

This action has sparked concern among those who work with refugees in the US. As Shawn VanDiver, president of the San Diego-based group #AfghanEvac, a group that helps resettle Afghans who assisted the US during the two-decade war, told the Associated Press that many Afghans were now afraid to afraid to step out of their homes, fearing they’ll be swept up by immigration officials or attacked with hate speech.

Additionally, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced 500 more troops would deploy to Washington, bringing the total to 2,500. This despite a federal judge last week ordering a temporary suspension of the deployment on the grounds that it was likely illegal.

With inputs from agencies