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By Gabe Whisnant
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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.”
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.
Why It Matters
Beckstrom and Wolfe 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.
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What To Know
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 have been on orders in Washington, D.C., since August, according to the West Virginia National Guard. Beckstrom, of Webster Springs, West Virginia, entered service in June 2023. Wolfe, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, entered service in February 2019.
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."
Pirro said the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, of Washington state, drove across the country before carrying out what she described as an “ambush-style” attack with a powerful .357 Smith & Wesson revolver. Video reviewed by investigators showed the gunman “came around the corner” and immediately opened fire on National Guard troops, said Jeffery Carroll, an executive assistant D.C. police chief. At least one Guard member returned fire, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.
Pirro said Lakanwal shot one Guardsman who fell, and then shot them again, before firing several times at the second Guardsman.
Troops subdued Lakanwal at the scene and held him until he was taken into custody. Authorities believe he acted alone. Carroll said it remained unclear whether the suspect was struck by gunfire from a Guard member or a law enforcement officer.
Lakanwal has been charged with assault with intent to kill while armed and with possessing a firearm during a crime of violence. Both Bondi and Pirro said Thursday that the charges could be upgraded.
Why is Rahmanullah Lakanwal in the US?
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 launched in 2021 under former President Joe Biden to relocate Afghans who had assisted U.S. forces during two decades of American involvement in the country.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox News Digital that the Biden administration justified bringing the suspect to the United States in September 2021 because of his prior work with the U.S. government, including the CIA.
Reuters reported Thursday that Lakanwal was granted asylum in April under the Trump administration. The document reviewed by Reuters said Lakanwal applied for asylum in December 2024 and was approved on April 23 of this year, roughly three months after Trump took office.
What People Are Saying
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. 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.”
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek via email, "This Afghan national was paroled in by the Biden Administration. After that, Biden signed into law that parole program, and then entered into the 2023 Ahmed Court Settlement, which bound USCIS to adjudicate his asylum claim on an expedited basis. Regardless if his asylum was granted or not, this monster would not have been removed because of his parole.
Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols. The Trump Administration is also reviewing all asylum cases approved under the Biden Administration, which failed to vet these applicants on a massive scale."
Pirro said, “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."
What Happens Next
Pirro said “it’s too soon to say” what may have motivated the attack. Lakanwal remains in the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and is under heavy guard.
Updates: 11/27/25, 1:44 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
Updates: 11/27/25, 3:37 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
Updates: 11/27/25, 5:47 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
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