U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, were identified as the two members of the West Virginia National Guard who were shot in Washington, D.C.
The New York Times reported that it had reached Specialist Beckstrom’s father by telephone.
“I’m holding her hand right now,” Gary Beckstrom said when reached by the newspaper. “She has a mortal wound. It’s not going to be a recovery.” He declined to speak further, the Times reported.
The U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro identified the two at a news conference Thursday.
“They were in D.C. to keep D.C. safe,” Pirro said. “They answered the call, they took the charge and they put their lives on the line for people they don’t even know.”
D.C. police said they had one suspect in custody, an Afghan national named Rahmanullah Lakanwal. The shooting happened at the corner of 17th and I Streets NW.
Pirro, at the news conference, said the suspected shooter drove from the state of Washington. He already faces charges including three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
“We intend to continue monitoring what the charges will be, depending upon the well being of the Guardsmen. We are praying that they survive and that the highest charge will not have to be murder in the first degree,” Pirro said.
“But make no mistake, if they do not, that will certainly be the charge — murder in the first degree.”
The West Virginia National Guard, in an update, said Beckstrom is from Summersville and was assigned to the 863rd Military Police Company, 111th Engineer Brigade, West Virginia Army National Guard. She entered service on June 26, 2023.
Wolfe of Martinsburg was assigned to the Force Support Squadron, 167th Airlift Wing, West Virginia Air National Guard. He entered service on February 5, 2019.
“All we need right now are prayers for my son,” a man at Sergeant Wolfe’s family home told a New York Times reporter. He declined to speak more, the newspaper said.
The Eastern Panhandle’s Musselman High School, in a social media post, expressed deep concern for Wolfe, described as a graduate.
“Andrew Wolfe, was one of the National Guardsmen injured in the shooting in Washington, D.C. today. Andrew is currently in critical condition and undergoing surgery,” the school posted.
“Please keep Andrew, his family, and all those affected in your thoughts. We will share updates as we receive them.”
The post appeared to have been taken down overnight.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey was in Washington, D.C. today, with representatives of the administration saying he was focused on the victims. The governor had met with family members of the Guard members.
“I’m asking every West Virginian to pray for our two Guardsmen as their families, friends, and neighbors struggle with this unspeakable tragedy,” Morrisey said in a video message.
“These two Guardsmen voluntarily stepped up and risked everything for our state and nation – they are our protectors and some of the most courageous West Virginians you could possibly imagine.”
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser at a Wednesday news briefing called the attack a “targeted shooting.”
Jeffrey Carroll, the executive assistant chief of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, said the suspect in the shooting came around a corner, raised his gun and fired at Guardsmen who were gathered at the location near a Metro stop.
“The suspect came around the corner; he immediately started firing at the two National Guard members,” Carroll said at a briefing.
“At that time, there were other National Guard members in the area who were in the area. They heard the gunfire. They actually were able to intervene and to kind of hold down the suspect after he had been shot, on the ground, until law enforcement was able to get there.”
On August 11, President Donald Trump declared a “crime emergency” for the District of Columbia, and five days later Governor Morrisey deployed 300 to 400 members of the West Virginia National Guard for support.
The president’s emergency declaration, which placed the Metropolitan Police Department under federal direction, expired after 30 days, Sept. 10, but the National Guard presence continued.
About 2,000 members of the National Guard, overall, have been deployed to Washington, D.C., to patrol on the National Mall, in Metro public transportation stations and across D.C. neighborhoods.
Members of the West Virginia National Guard assigned to the mission have been operating under Joint Task Force-DC, which says the presence will continue “until law and order is restored.”
Earlier this month, the West Virginia National Guard announced participation in patrols in Washington, D.C., would continue until the end of the year. However, the mission was being scaled back.
About 160 West Virginia National Guard volunteers were approved to remain in D.C. All personnel not continuing as part of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission returned to West Virginia.
Both Wolfe and Beckstrom had been on Task Force orders in the district since the beginning of the mission in August of this year, the National Guard said.