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One of the two national guard members shot near the White House has died, US President Donald Trump has announced, calling the shooter a “savage monster”.
As part of a Thanksgiving call to US troops, Trump said he had just learned that specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, had died, while staff sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, was fighting for his life.
“She’s just passed away,” Trump said. “She’s no longer with us. She’s looking down at us right now. Her parents are with her.”
He called Beckstrom an “incredible person, outstanding in every single way”.

In his announcement, Trump labeled the shooting attributed to Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal as an act of terrorism.

He also criticised the Biden administration for enabling Afghans who worked with US forces during the Afghanistan war to enter the US without, in his opinion, sufficient vetting.
“This atrocity reminds us that we have no greater national security priority than ensuring that we have full control over the people that enter and remain in our country,” Trump said.

“Generally speaking, we don’t want them here,” he stated.

National Guard members standing behind yellow caution tape

Since August, National Guard troops have been stationed in Washington, a decision made by Trump amid a controversial initiative to curb crime in the area.

Additionally, Trump asserted that the shooter may have been suffering from mental instability following his experiences in the war and subsequent exit from Afghanistan.

“This is a recurring issue with individuals like these,” he remarked.

Earlier, US officials said Lakanwal, 29, who worked with the CIA in his native country and immigrated to the US in 2021, drove from Washington state to the nation’s capital before the shooting.
The suspect had worked in a special CIA-backed Afghan Army unit before emigrating from Afghanistan, according to two sources, and #AfghanEvac, a group that helps resettle Afghans who assisted the US during the two-decade war.

Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for Columbia, said Lakanwal launched an “ambush-style” attack with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver on Wednesday local time.

The suspect currently faces charges of assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. Pirro said it’s too soon to say what the suspect’s motives were.
“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,” she said.

The suspect, who is in custody, was also shot and had wounds that were not believed to be life-threatening, according to a law enforcement official.

CIA director John Ratcliffe said in a statement Lakanwal’s relationship with the US government ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation of American troops from Afghanistan.
Lakanwal has been living in Bellingham, Washington, north of Seattle, with his wife and five children, his former landlord said.
In a video message released on social media, Trump called for the re-investigation of all Afghan refugees who entered under the Biden administration.
Director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services Joseph Edlow said in a social media post Trump had directed him to review the green cards of people from unspecified countries “of concern”.
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