TL;DR
- National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, 20, has died following a shooting incident near the White House; another victim, Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition.
- The suspected gunman, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, previously served in a CIA-backed Afghan army unit before arriving in the US under a resettlement scheme.
- Authorities are treating the shooting as terrorism, leading to a review of asylum approvals under the Biden administration.
National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom has died after Washington DC shooting, Trump says
One of the National Guard members shot in Washington DC on Wednesday has died from her injuries, Donald Trump has said.
The US president called 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, part of the West Virginia guard, a “highly respected” and “magnificent person”.
The other person who was shot, Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in a critical condition. Mr Trump said he is “fighting for his life”.
The pair were ambushed while patrolling near the White House.
Ms Beckstrom’s father had earlier told The New York Times she was unlikely to survive, and he was “holding her hand”.
The suspected gunman, Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, is in a serious condition, Mr Trump told reporters.
Mr Trump described him as a “savage monster”.
He drove thousands of miles from his home in Washington state to carry out the attack with a powerful Magnum revolver, according to US attorney Jeanine Pirro.
Lakanwal was injured in an exchange of fire and is now under guard in hospital.
He’s said to have worked in a CIA-backed Afghan army unit before coming to the US in 2021 under a resettlement scheme to protect people from Taliban reprisals.
Lakanwal’s asylum application was passed this year.