Two National Guard members were shot and seriously injured just blocks from the White House in Washington DC on Wednesday.
One died on Thursday, while the second remained in critical condition, US President Donald Trump said the following day. The suspect, an Afghan citizen, is in custody.
In response to the attack, Trump said he would send an additional 500 troops to the streets of the nation’s capital.
What happened in the shooting near the White House?
Shortly after 2:00 p.m. EST (19:00 GMT) on Wednesday, two National Guard members, both from West Virginia, were shot at close range near Farragut Square in downtown Washington DC.
The soldiers were on a high-visibility patrol near the corner of 17th and I streets, an area crowded with office workers at lunchtime.
Jeff Carroll, deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police, said the suspect “came around the corner” and “immediately started shooting”, adding that the soldiers were “ambushed”.
Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington DC, said the incident was a targeted attack.
Because the shooting occurred just blocks from the White House, several police officers were quickly on the scene to treat the two victims and arrest the shooter.
The security guards were taken to hospital, where one later died.
Trump was at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida before Thanksgiving and was not at the White House at the time.
What do we know about the victims?
The victims are Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24 – both uniformed members of the West Virginia National Guard.
Ms. Beckstrom died on Thursday, Trump said during a Thanksgiving conversation with US soldiers.
He said Mr. Wolfe remained in critical condition after being shot several times.
ReutersAttorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News that Ms. Beckstrom volunteered to work in the nation’s capital during the Thanksgiving holiday.
“She volunteered, like many of these Guardsmen, so other people could be home with their families,” she said.
What do we know about the suspect?
The Department of Homeland Security named the suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal and described him as “a criminal alien from Afghanistan.”
During his arrest, the suspect was shot four times, law enforcement sources told CBS News, the BBC’s U.S. affiliate.
ReutersMr. Lakanwal is 29 years old and is not cooperating with authorities, officials said.
He is said to have come to the USA in 2021. He lived with his wife and five children on the other side of the country, in Washington state.
How did he come to the USA?
Mr. Lakanwal reportedly came to the United States in September 2021 as part of a program for Afghans called Operation Allies Welcome that existed during Joe Biden’s presidency.
This happened in the aftermath of the chaotic withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan. As the Taliban regained control of the country, there were fears of retaliation against those who had cooperated with the United States.
The Congressional Research Service estimates that around 77,000 Afghans entered the United States under special immigration protections that came into effect about a year after the US withdrawal.
Mr. Lakanwal had a relationship with U.S. forces in Afghanistan, FBI Director Kash Patel said. CIA Director John Ratcliffe said he had been cooperating with the agency.
Mr. Lakanwal applied for asylum in 2024 and his application was approved earlier this year, an official told CBS.
What is he accused of?
Washington DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said the original assault charge against the suspect would be upgraded to first-degree murder.
The government had originally announced that Mr. Lakanwal would be charged with three counts of assault with intent to kill with an armed weapon and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
“It’s a premeditated murder. There was an ambush with a gun on people who didn’t know what was coming,” Pirro told Fox and Friends on Friday. “And that’s the murder, and that’s the murder we’re watching right now.”
How did the Trump administration respond?
Just hours after the shooting, Trump released a video of himself speaking from Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
He called the shooting an “act of terrorism” and “a crime against humanity.”
Trump said he would send an additional 500 National Guard troops to Washington DC – where there are currently nearly 2,200 troops.
The National Guard troops are a reserve force that can be used as a military force, but have limited power because they cannot enforce laws or make arrests.
Trump sent troops in August to combat what he called “out of control” crime in the nation’s capital.
Overall, crime in the nation’s capital has declined since the force’s deployment, which Trump attributes to the troops’ presence on the streets.
The Trump administration has also highlighted the suspect’s background and announced a series of measures aimed at toughening the US approach to migration from Afghanistan and other countries.
On Wednesday, the day of the shooting, it stopped processing all immigration applications from Afghans.
The next day, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said it would reconsider green cards (U.S. permanent residents) for people who immigrated to the U.S. from 19 countries.
And Trump went on to say he would “permanently stop” migration from all “third world countries” to the US – using a term that has been used in the past to describe poorer developing countries.
On Friday, USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said in a post
