Sarah Beckstrom's Ex-Boyfriend Reacts to DC Shooting...

By Jenna Sundel

News Reporter

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The ex-boyfriend of National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom said he “loved her to pieces” after she was fatally shot in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

“I loved her to pieces,” Adam Carr, who said he dated Beckstrom for six years, told CNN. “She never deserved any of that. I always wished the best for her.”

Why It Matters

West Virginia National Guard members Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, were in Washington, D.C., since August as part of the federal surge in the nation's capital to tackle crime and immigration operations.

A suspect, identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal of Washington state, allegedly drove across the country before shooting Beckstrom and Wolfe in an "ambush-style" attack using a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver before he was wounded and apprehended by responding troops, according to U.S. Attorney General of the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro.

West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey said Friday that Wolfe was in "very critical condition."

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What To Know

Lakanwal was in the United States since 2021 as part of Operation Allies Welcome, but only applied for asylum in 2024, which was granted by the Trump administration earlier this year. He also served in a CIA-backed Afghan army unit before immigrating to the country.

Lakanwal has been charged with one count of first-degree murder, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.

On Thursday, Trump said he "will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover" in a Truth Social post.

Carr told CNN that Beckstrom was a “loving, caring person” who “had a huge heart.” He said they broke up about a month ago.

“She would make lunch for me in the morning, I’d get up by the crack of the dawn and it’s still dark and she’d be out there in the kitchen making some sandwiches, throwing in some chips, asking what type of fruit I wanted,” Carr said. “I told her not to worry about it, and she would still get up for it anyways, even though she’s got work in a few hours and could be sleeping.”

He told the outlet that she faced hostility from the public when she was deployed to Washington, D.C. but eventually enjoyed it and volunteered to continue her service there.

“The more she was there, the more she warmed up to it,” Carr said, adding that she made friends and enjoyed seeing the monuments throughout the city.

He said she was “ecstatic, outgoing” and a “homebody” who also enjoyed fishing and hunting, and who had also hoped to join the FBI one day.

What People Are Saying

Colonel Larry Doane, Joint Task Force District of Columbia commander, said in a statement: “Spc. Sarah Beckstrom came to the District from West Virginia to make our nation's capital safe and beautiful. 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."

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, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, which ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation."

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday: "I am determined to ensure that the animal who perpetrated this atrocity pays the steepest possible price."

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser wrote on X on Wednesday: "Today's attack on two members of the West Virginia National Guard was horrific and unconscionable. We can confirm that a suspect is in custody for this targeted shooting and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Our prayers are with the victims and their loved ones."