Sarah Beckstrom, West Virginia National Guard Member, Dies After D.C. Shooting Attack

Washington, D.C. — Sarah Beckstrom, 20, a member of the West Virginia National Guard, has died after being shot during a targeted attack near the White House on Wednesday, former President Donald Trump announced on Thursday.

“Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, one of the guardsmen that we’re talking about, highly respected, young, magnificent person… She’s just passed away. She’s no longer with us,” Trump stated.

Beckstrom was one of two National Guard members shot in the incident. The other, Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains hospitalized and is reportedly fighting for his life, according to the president.

Earlier, Beckstrom’s father, Gary Beckstrom, had told the New York Times that his daughter’s injuries were mortal. “I’m holding her hand right now. She has a mortal wound. It’s not going to be a recovery,” he said.

Beckstrom, from Webster Springs, West Virginia, joined the National Guard in June 2023. Both she and Wolfe were deployed to Washington as part of a broader effort involving hundreds of National Guard troops in support of crime-fighting operations in the capital.

The suspected shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, a married father of five, arrived in the United States in 2021 through a resettlement program for Afghans who had assisted U.S. forces in the Middle East. Lakanwal applied for asylum in December 2024 and was approved in April 2025. He had no known criminal history, according to a Trump administration official.

Lakanwal is one of roughly 76,000 Afghans brought to the U.S. through the Operation Allies Welcome program. Many in the program previously worked alongside U.S. troops and diplomats as interpreters and translators.

Authorities have charged Lakanwal with three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., said that if the National Guard members had not survived, the charges could be elevated to first-degree murder. The FBI is investigating the shooting as a potential act of terrorism. Law enforcement executed search warrants at the suspect’s residences in Washington, D.C., and San Diego, California. Investigators currently believe Lakanwal acted alone, and no motive has been confirmed.

At the time of the shooting, the D.C. National Guard had nearly 950 members deployed, including troops from West Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. A federal judge had recently ordered an end to the deployment but temporarily stayed the order to allow the administration to adjust troop assignments.

Sarah Beckstrom’s death marks a tragic loss for her family, community, and fellow service members.