Two West Virginia National Guard members who deployed to the nation’s capital were shot on Wednesday afternoon just blocks from the White House in a brazen act of violence that the mayor described as a targeted attack.
FBI Director Kash Patel and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said they were hospitalised in critical condition. The rare shooting of National Guard members, on the day before Thanksgiving, comes as the presence of the troops in the nation’s capital and other cities around the country has been a flashpoint issue for months, fuelling court fights and a broader public policy debate about the Trump administration’s use of the military to combat what officials cast as an out-of-control crime problem.
A suspect who was in custody also was shot and had wounds that were not believed to be life-threatening, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorised to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity. The 29-year-old suspect, an Afghan national, entered the US in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden administration programme that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the US withdrawal from the country, officials said.
The initiative brought roughly 76,000 people to the US, many of whom had worked alongside US troops and diplomats as interpreters and translators. It has since faced intense scrutiny from Trump and his allies, congressional Republicans and some Government watchdogs over gaps in the vetting process and the speed of admissions, even as advocates say it offered a lifeline to people at risk of Taliban reprisals.
The suspect, who has been living in Washington State, has been identified by law enforcement officials as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, but authorities were still working to fully confirm his background, two law enforcement officials and a person familiar with the matter said. The people could not discuss details of an ongoing investigation. Lakamal arrived in Bellingham, Washington, about 79 miles (127.1 kilometres) north of Seattle, with his wife and five children, said his former landlord Kristina Widman. Wednesday night, in a video message released on social media, President Donald Trump called for the reinvestigation of all Afghan refugees who entered under the Biden administration.
“If they can’t love our country, we don’t want them,” he said, adding that the shooting was “a crime against our entire nation.” Jeffery Carroll, an executive assistant DC police chief, said investigators had no information on a motive. He said the assailant “came around the corner” and immediately started firing at the troops, citing video reviewed by investigators.” This was a targeted shooting,” Bowser said.
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey initially said the troops had died, but he later walked that statement back to say his office was “receiving conflicting reports” about their condition. The Trump administration quickly ordered 500 more National Guard members to Washington. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Trump asked him to send the troops. Nearly 2,200 troops currently are assigned to the joint task force operating in the city, according to the Government’s latest update.
The shooting happened roughly two blocks northwest of the White House near a metro station. Hearing gunfire, other troops in the area ran over and held down the gunman after he was shot, Carroll said.”
It appears to be a lone gunman that raised a firearm and ambushed these members of the National Guard,” Carroll said, adding that it was not clear whether one of the guard members or a law enforcement officer shot the suspect.”At this point we have no other suspects,” Carroll said at a news conference.
At least one of the guard members exchanged gunfire with the shooter, said another law enforcement official who was not authorised to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Social media video shared in the immediate aftermath showed first responders performing CPR on one of the troops and treating the other on a glass-covered sidewalk.
Stacy Walters said she was in a car when she heard two gunshots and saw people running. Almost instantly, law enforcement swarmed the area. “It’s such a beautiful day. Who would do this? And we’re getting ready for the holidays?” Emma McDonald, who exited a metro station just after the shots were fired, said she and a friend sought safety with others in a cafe. McDonald told AP that minutes later she saw first responders rolling a stretcher carrying a National Guard member whose head was covered in blood.
Police tape cordoned off the scene, and fire and police vehicle lights flashed and helicopter blades thudded overhead. Agents from the Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were there, and National Guard troops stood sentry nearby.
At least one helicopter landed on the National Mall. “I think it’s a somber reminder that soldiers, whether they’re active duty, reserve or National Guard, our soldiers are the sword and the shield of the United States of America,” Vice President JD Vance said in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where he delivered a Thanksgiving message to troops.
Gen Steven Nordhaus, chief of the National Guard Bureau, scrapped plans to spend the holiday with troops at Guantanamo Bay in order to travel to DC. And be with guard members there instead. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said on social media that he visited the wounded National Guard members in the hospital and that his “heart breaks for them.” Emergency personnel gathering in a cordoned off area where National Guard soldiers were shot near the White House in Washington.
