DC National Guard Shooting Victim Has Mortal Wound, Says ...

By Gabe Whisnant

Breaking News Editor

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The father of National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, who was critically wounded in Wednesday's attack in Washington, D.C., said Thursday that his daughter is not expected to survive, The New York Times reported.

“I’m holding her hand right now,” Gary Beckstrom told the newspaper about his 20-year-old daughter, a Specialist in the National Guard. “She has a mortal wound. It’s not going to be a recovery.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi previously spoke about Beckstrom in an interview with Fox News, without naming her, saying: "She volunteered to work on Thanksgiving—working today, as did many other guardsmen and women so that other people could be at home with their families. Yet now their families are in hospital rooms with them, while they are fighting for their lives," she added. "Everyone just pray today for these two soldiers."

Another wounded Guard member, Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, is in critical condition, officials said.

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"All we need right now are prayers for my son,” a man at Wolfe's home told the Times.

They are both members of the West Virginia National Guard, which sent hundreds of troops to the nation’s capital as part of President Donald Trump’s crime-fighting mission that included taking control of the local police department. Nearly 2,200 Guard personnel were deployed to Washington for the operation.

U.S. Attorney General of the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro identified the wounded Guard members during a press conference on Thursday, when she confirmed that they had both had surgery and were in critical condition. Both Beckstrom and Wolfe are believed to have been "sworn in" less than 24 hours before they were shot, Pirro said.

Officials have identified Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, as the suspect. The charges he is facing include assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.

Authorities said the suspect is among roughly 76,000 Afghans brought to the United States after the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan as the Taliban seized control. He arrived through Operation Allies Welcome, the program established in 2021 to relocate Afghans following the end of two decades of U.S. involvement and billions of dollars in aid.

CIA director John Ratcliffe told Fox News Digital: "The Biden administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States in September 2021 due to his prior work with the U.S. government, including CIA."

Bondi said Thursday on Fox News said she could seek the death penalty against the suspect.

“Just pray, everyone pray today for these two soldiers, these two Guardsman and woman,” Bondi told the network. “But if something happens, I will tell you right now, I will tell you early, we will do everything in our power to seek the death penalty against that monster who should not have been in our country.”

Updates: 11/27/25, 1:44 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.

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