MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US National Guard soldier Sarah Beckstrom dies from her wounds after Washington DC shooting

Beckstrom was 20 years old

US National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, of West Virginia, died on Thursday evening from injuries sustained in an ambush-style shooting near the White House on Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced.

The shooting, which targeted two members of a West Virginia National Guard task force deployed to the nation's capital, has been classified as a potential act of terrorism and has ignited a fierce political debate over US immigration policy.

Speaking during a Thanksgiving Day call with US military service members, Trump confirmed Beckstrom's death, which occurred shortly before the call began.

Trump described Beckstrom, who began her service in June 2023, as a “highly respected, young, magnificent person” and “outstanding in every way.”

Meanwhile, Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, is still hospitalized and “fighting for his life” and “in very bad shape,” according to the President.

US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro described the incident as a “brazen and targeted attack,” stating the suspect ambushed the Guardsmen, shooting Beckstrom at close range before turning his weapon on Wolfe and firing several shots.

“Unfortunately, today, as most families join together to give thanks for the blessings that have been bestowed upon them, two families are shattered and destroyed and torn apart as the result of the actions of one man,” Pirro said.

The suspected shooter was identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who allegedly drove across the country from his last known residence in Bellingham, Washington, to carry out the attack. Lakanwal remains hospitalized in “serious condition” after being shot and apprehended by responding Guardsmen.

FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed his agency was leading an “ongoing investigation into terrorism” and an assault on a federal law enforcement officer.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe stated that Lakanwal had a history of working with the US intelligence in Afghanistan, qualifying him for relocation under the Operation Allies Welcome resettlement program in 2021.

While Lakanwal was initially paroled into the country under the former President Joseph Biden administration's program, his asylum application was approved earlier this year by Trump's government.

The Republican leader used the tragedy to aggressively criticize immigration policies, blaming the initial admission of the suspect on his predecessor's teams.

The White House stated that the atrocity reinforces that the US has “no greater national security priority than ensuring that we have complete control over the people who enter and remain in our country.”

In response to the incident, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a “rigorous review” of resident cards (green cards) from 19 “countries of concern,” including Afghanistan, Cuba, Venezuela, and Haiti, while officials immediately halted the processing of immigration requests from Afghan nationals.

Patel stated the investigation is a “coast-to-coast investigation” extending from Washington, DC to Lakanwal's connections in San Diego and his residence in Washington State. Charges against Lakanwal are expected to be upgraded following Beckstrom's death.