The man accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday now faces upgraded charges after one of the victims died from her injuries.
U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, succumbed to her wounds Thursday, prompting prosecutors to add a first-degree murder charge against Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national. Lakanwal was already facing multiple counts related to the shooting of Beckstrom and U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24.
According to the office of U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro, Lakanwal is now charged with three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, and one count of first-degree murder. Pirro confirmed the upgraded charges during an appearance Friday on Fox News, adding that “there are certainly many more charges to come.”
On Thursday — before Beckstrom’s death — Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News the Department of Justice intends to seek the death penalty against Lakanwal.
Beckstrom, a native of Webster Springs, West Virginia, enlisted in the National Guard in June 2023 and was deployed to the District as part of the Joint Task Force-D.C. mission that began in August. In a statement, the West Virginia National Guard said she had been serving in the capital since Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R) directed additional deployments late last summer.
Her alma mater, Webster County High School, paid tribute to Beckstrom in a Facebook post Thursday, noting she “has always demonstrated the strength, character, and commitment that make our school and community proud” and that “[h]er decision to serve her country reflects the very best of what we hope to instill in our Highlander students.”
Wolfe, a Martinsburg, West Virginia, native who enlisted in 2019, remains hospitalized in critical condition. Pirro said Friday that “we still have hope” regarding his recovery.
Authorities say the shooting occurred around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday near the Farragut Square Metro Station at 17th and I streets NW. Metropolitan Police Department Executive Assistant Chief Jeffery Carroll said the guardsmen were on “high visibility patrol” when they were shot. Other Guard members apprehended Lakanwal at the scene.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) said at a Wednesday press conference that the attack was “targeted.” Pirro said Friday that investigators are still working to determine a motive.
Officials have confirmed that Lakanwal, 29, entered the United States in September 2021 through a program for Afghans who assisted U.S. forces during the war in Afghanistan.
On Thursday, the Trump administration announced an indefinite pause on migration from Afghanistan and said it would reexamine green cards previously issued to migrants from Afghanistan and 18 other countries. A June White House memo listed 19 nations subject to entry restrictions: Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, Cuba, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, and Yemen.
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