In a heart-wrenching revelation, the father of a National Guard member who was shot in a suspected terror attack has shared that she will not survive her injuries. This tragic update was provided by Gary Beckstrom, the father of Sarah Beckstrom, who was shot in Washington D.C.
Speaking to the New York Times on Thursday, just a day after the incident, Gary Beckstrom offered a somber account of his daughter’s condition. “She has a mortal wound, it’s not going to be a recovery,” he said while by her bedside. “I’m holding her hand right now,” he added, underscoring the gravity of the situation.
Sarah Beckstrom and her fellow National Guard member, Andrew Wolfe, age 24, were ambushed in the attack. Wolfe remains in critical condition following the shooting.
The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, was also injured during the incident and is currently in custody at a hospital. His injuries are reported to be non-life-threatening.
The shooting occurred a mere 800 yards from the White House, heightening concerns and prompting swift action from authorities. The community and nation remain on edge as they grapple with the implications of this attack.
Lakanwal allegedly shot the National Guard soldiers just 800 yards from the White House on Wednesday.
The suspect drove across the country from his home in Bellingham, Washington state, where he lived with his wife and five children near the Canadian border, authorities said.
The soldiers were shot by a .357 Smith and Wesson revolver.
Sarah Beckstrom’s father, Gary Beckstrom, said his daughter will not survive injuries she sustained from being shot while on duty in Washington DC
Fingerprints matched to Lakanwal who fled to the US following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.
Donald Trump last night in an address to the nation blamed Joe Biden and called for a review of ‘every single alien from Afghanistan who has entered our country’.
He said: ‘The suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan, a hellhole on earth.
Afghan soldier Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, was named as the alleged gunman in custody over the horror shoot-out
‘He was flown in by the Biden administration in September 2021, on those infamous flights that everybody was talking about. Nobody knew who was coming in.
‘His status was extended under legislation signed by President Biden, a disastrous president, the worst in our history.’
CIA director John Ratcliffe revealed that Lakanwal had direct links to the intelligence agency from his work alongside US Special Forces in Afghanistan, where he served as an elite commander.
Lakanwal, 29, applied for asylum in 2024 and was approved by Trump’s Department of Homeland Security in April of this year, according to CNN.
Lakanwal’s ID card identifies him as a commander in Unit 01, an elite force within the former Afghan government’s National Directorate of Security, according to The Telegraph.
Beckstrom was ‘ambushed’ along with fellow West Virginia National Guard member Andrew Wolfe
Two National Guard soldiers were shot down the street from the White House on Wednesday
Andrew Wolfe was shot alongside Beckstrom in Washington DC on Wednesday
The Daily Mail has reached out to DHS for comment.
A motive for the shooting has not been released by law enforcement, but the FBI led by Director Kash Patel is investigating whether the attack could have links to international terror.
US Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s notes during a Thursday briefing mentioned the suspected shooter yelled ‘allahu akbar’ before the attack.
Beckstrom and Wolfe were in the nation’s capital as part of the president’s crime-fighting mission that involved taking over the local police department.
Nearly 2,200 Guard members were deployed to DC as part of the drive.
Following the shooting, the president’s administration quickly ordered 500 more National Guard members to the city.
Lakanwal currently faces charges of assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said on Thursday that ‘it’s too soon to say’ what the suspect’s motives were.
She added: ‘We are praying that they survive and that the highest charge will not have to be murder in the first degree.
‘But make no mistake, if they do not, that will certainly be the charge.’
