Two National Guard members were shot last week while patrolling downtown Washington. One died, and the other is in critical condition.
The suspected shooter was identified as Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal on Wednesday. After having worked with the CIA under the Afghan “Zero Units” team prior to the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, Lakanwal came to the United States under former President Joe Biden’s “Operation Allies Welcome.” Lakanwal then applied for asylum with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in 2024 and was approved in 2025.
After the shooting, President Donald Trump announced massive changes to the visa vetting process, writing on Truth Social that he would “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries,” adding that “only REVERSE MIGRATION can fully cure this situation.”
Here is the latest on what we know about the shooting.
One victim still in critical condition
Lakanwal allegedly opened fire on National Guard members who were on patrol outside of the Farragut West Metro station in Washington. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe and Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom were hit by the gunfire. Beckstrom died from her injuries the next day.
After Lakanwal’s alleged initial shots, a third unidentified National Guard member fired back, which allowed other service members to apprehend and detain the suspect.
Despite having undergone surgery on Monday, Wolfe has shown positive signs in his recovery, Gov. Patrick Morissey (R-WV) said during a press conference.
“Andrew is fighting for his life, and his parents are unbelievably great people, highly religious people,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “They’re praying, and they want everybody to pray for Andrew, and he has a chance to make it.”
Beckstrom died in the hospital on Thursday from injuries sustained in the shooting.
Trump expressed his desire on Sunday to host both of the victims’ families at the White House to honor the two West Virginia National Guard members.
Who is the suspected shooter?
Lakanwal, who is from Afghanistan, led the “Zero Units” team that worked in conjunction with U.S. and U.K. forces. He also worked alongside the CIA, an agency spokesperson confirmed on Thursday.
The suspected shooter settled in the U.S. after Biden granted him and his family asylum as part of “Operation Allies Welcome,” a program that helped resettle Afghans who might be targeted by the Taliban for working with the U.S. government.
Emails the Associated Press obtained from the nonprofit organization U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants described him as someone who has “not been functional as a person, father and provider” since March 2023. Lakanwal quit his job that month, and his behavior had “changed greatly.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she believed Lakanwal had been “radicalized since he’s been here in this country.”
“We do believe it was through connections in his home community and state, and we’re going to continue to talk to those who interacted with him,” Noem added.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Fox News Sunday that the shooter “was radicalized,” adding that he “should not have been in our country.”
Lakanwal is still recovering from injuries he sustained in the shooting and faces a first-degree murder charge. Bondi announced on Thursday that she would seek the death penalty.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced the bureau’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is conducting a “coast-to-coast” investigation into the shooting.
Authorities executed search warrants at the suspect’s last known residence in Washington state and seized numerous electronic devices, including cellphones, laptops, and iPads, for analysis.
Administration targets vetting process the suspected shooter came in under
The Trump administration has said the alleged shooter and other Afghan nationals admitted under the program were not vetted properly before entering the U.S.
“Joe Biden completely did not vet any of these individuals, did not vet this individual, waited until he got into the United States, and then that application for asylum was opened under the Joe Biden administration,” Noem said.
“When this abandonment of Afghanistan happened, the Biden administration put people on airplanes, brought them to the United States without vetting them,” Noem added. “They brought them into our country and then said they would vet them afterwards.”
The CIA vetted Lakanwal for entry to the U.S., which provided the Afghan national with humanitarian parole. After being granted humanitarian parole in 2021, he applied for temporary asylum in 2024, which he was granted in 2025 by the Trump administration.
Trump pinned the shooting on the military withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, which allowed the Taliban to regain control of the country and access U.S. military equipment.
The shooting prompted the president to promise to revoke the Biden-era visas administered to Afghan refugees.
“I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover, terminate all of the millions of Biden illegal admissions, including those signed by Sleepy Joe Biden’s autopen, and remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States,” he wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. “Only REVERSE MIGRATION can fully cure this situation.”
NOEM SAYS BIDEN COMPLETELY DID NOT VET THE DC SHOOTING SUSPECT
Trump hinted at the deportation of the suspected shooter’s family, who live with him in Washington state.
“Well, we’re looking at that right now,” Trump told a reporter. “We’re looking at the whole situation with the family. It’s a tragic situation.”
Increased law enforcement presence
After the shooting, the Metropolitan Police Department announced it would assist the National Guard members deployed to Washington with their patrols.
