Two National Guard members were struck during a shooting in Washington D.C. On Wednesday, November 26th, National Guard members Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, were both shot at close range near Farragut Square in downtown Washington D.C. Both of them were immediately rushed to the hospital, but unfortunately, Sarah Beckstrom succumbed to her injuries the next day and passed away in the hospital. Andrew Wolfe is still in critical condition after being shot multiple times, but is showing signs of surviving in the hospital.
The shooting occurred just after 14:00 EST, and police captured and arrested one suspect. That man is 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal. He is an Afghan National who came to the USA in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome. This was a program put into effect by the Biden Administration during America’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. After the US had left the country, the Taliban took back control of Afghanistan. People in the area who cooperated or supported the USA during the war feared they would be harmed by the Taliban as retaliation. The program was made to aid these people, and help them immigrate to America.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal has had a bit of an interesting past. Rahmanullah resided in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and 5 children. It was revealed that he had relationships in Afghanistan with US forces and worked with the CIA during the US occupation, having worked with the CIA-backed Afghan army unit known as Zero Unit. This had caused some people to become suspicious of the situation and even intrigued some conspiracy theorists. Newer details have also given some new info on Rahmanullah’s mental state at the time. Apparently, Rahmanullah’s mental state had been declining over the past few years. He had been spending long stretches of time in isolation, and this had led to him having trouble holding onto a job. Along with being isolated often, he would suddenly take random cross-country drives from time to time. According to The Guardian, “His behavior deteriorated so sharply that a community advocate reached out to a refugee organization for help, fearing he was becoming suicidal”. After months of decaying mental well-being and behavior, according to residents of his community, he had lost the ability to be a father or a provider since 2023. He was also facing eviction, along with his family. To add insult to injury, he then lost a close friend in 2024. This is when he would begin to drive nonstop around the country.
On the day of the shooting, the soldiers were on patrol near the corner of 17th and I Street. Then, Rahmanullah Lakanwal ambushed them from around the corner and opened fire on them with a revolver at close range, immediately striking Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe in lethal areas. The other members of the guard were able to immediately fire at Rahmanullah after he had ambushed them. With the shooting being very close to the White House, law enforcement was able to arrive on the scene very quickly and were able to aid the shot guards and arrest the shooter. As of now, Rahmanullah Lakanwal has been charged with first-degree murder and assault.
Hours after the shooting, Trump spoke out about it, claiming it to be an “act of terror” and “a crime against humanity”. Trump has stated that in response to the tragedy, he would send in 500 National Guardsmen to Washington D.C., where there are currently already around 2,200 troops. Trump stated that he would strengthen the US approach to letting in immigrants from Afghanistan and other countries, and that he would permanently pause migration to the US from third-world countries. After the shooting, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services said that all immigration requests from Afghanistan were immediately suspended, and that they would reexamine all green cards issued to individuals who migrated to the US from 19 countries.
