This article originally appeared on the Daily Caller News Foundation and was republished with permission.
Guest post by Harold Hutchison
President Donald Trump announced that one of the two West Virginia National Guardsmen who was shot Wednesday in Washington, D.C., succumbed to her wounds Thursday.
West Virginia National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and West Virginia Air National Guard Andrew Wolfe were allegedly attacked at the Farragut West Metro Station in Washington, D.C., roughly a mile from the White House by Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who entered the United States in September 2021 after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan. Beckstromâs wounds were described as fatal on Thursday, according to The New York Times, as confirmed by her father before her passing.
âSarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, one of the guardsmen that weâre talking about, highly respected, young, magnificent person, started service in June of 2023 outstanding in every way. Sheâs just passed away,â Trump said as he was about to call servicemenbers for Thanksgiving.
Both National Guardsmen were in critical condition since the Wednesday shooting. Beckstromâs father told the Times he was at the hospital with her.
âIâm holding her hand right now,â Gary Beckstrom said. âShe has a mortal wound. Itâs not going to be a recovery.â
âAll we need right now are prayers for my son,â a man at Wolfeâs Martinsburg, West Virginia, family home said when contacted by the Times Thursday.
Beckstromâs death means that Lakanwal, currently facing three counts of assault with intent to kill, will now face âmurder in the first degree,â something U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro of the District of Columbia vowed would be the case if either Bergstrom or Wolfe died from their wounds during a Thanksgiving Day press conference.
âAs we stand here today, the charges that are appropriate right now are three accounts of assault with intent to kill. He will be charged with possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. He faces 15 years under the assault with the intent to kill,â Pirro told reporters. âWe intend to continue monitoring what the charges will be depending upon the well-being of the guardsmen. We are praying that they survive and that the highest charge will not have to be murder in the first degree. But make no mistake, if they do not, that will certainly be the charge: Murder in the first degree.â
Journalist Julio Rojas allegedly reported Lakanwal shouted âAllahu akbar!â before opening fire on the National Guardsmen with a Smith and Wesson revolver. Upon coming under attack, one National Guardsman who didnât have a firearm stabbed Lakanwal with a pocketknife, while an armed National Guardsman shot the suspected gunman multiple times, according to Rojas.
Copyright 2025 Daily Caller News Foundation
