National Guard member shot in Washington dies of injuries, says Donald Trump

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US president Donald Trump said on Thursday that a member of the West Virginia National Guard who was shot in Washington on Wednesday has died.

The victim, Sarah Beckstrom (20 years old), was seriously injured when a gunman opened fire near the Farragut West subway station in downtown Washington.

Trump said he expressed the nation’s “pain” and “horror” over the shooting.

The second victim, Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition, the chief said.

The suspected gunman has been identified as an Afghan national who worked with the US government, including the CIA, in Afghanistan.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the alleged attacker, who US officials identified as Rahmanullah Lakkanwal, 29, was working with US forces as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Trump described the gunman as a “cuckoo” when asked about his past relationships with the US government.

The two National Guard members were shot a short distance from the White House on Wednesday afternoon in what officials described as a “brazen” and “targeted” attack.

In a joint news conference with FBI Director Kash Patel on Thursday, US Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, said Lacanwal lived in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and children, and drove across the country to the US capital before carrying out Wednesday’s attack, Pirro said.

The Afghan, who was shot while being subdued by members of the National Guard, remains in the hospital. Pirro said he faces three counts of assault with intent to murder while armed and could face up to 15 years in prison. She added that he may also face charges of possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime.

Pirro said it was “too early” to determine a motive.

Patel said a coast-to-coast investigation is underway, and search warrants have been issued across the country, including his last known residence.

Patel said he spoke to Ratcliffe and Defense Minister Pete Hegseth about the alleged gunman’s relationship with partner US forces in Afghanistan.

Lakhanwal is believed to have come to the United States as part of “Operation Welcoming Allies,” an initiative launched by the Joe Biden administration to resettle tens of thousands of Afghan citizens who supported the US military in Afghanistan.

Trump and his senior aides sought to blame the Biden administration for Wednesday’s attack, accusing them of not adequately vetting Afghans coming to the United States under the program, which was created out of concerns that those who worked with the United States and its allies could face retaliation from the Taliban.

“We must now re-vet every alien who entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden,” Trump said in a speech on Wednesday evening. “And we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country.”

US Citizenship and Immigration Services, which handles residency permits for foreign citizens, said the processing of all immigration applications from Afghans has been suspended indefinitely pending a review of security and vetting protocols.