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Federal prosecutors have upgraded charges to first-degree murder against a man accused of shooting two National Guard members. This upgrade followed after one of the soldiers died from her injuries, according to the Associated Press.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced the new charges on Friday. She confirmed that Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, is now accused of killing Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20.
Beckstrom died Thursday evening following the shooting on Wednesday afternoon.
The second victim, Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains hospitalized in critical condition.
Charges and investigation
Lakanwal now faces one count of first-degree murder, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.
In an interview on Fox News, Pirro stated that “many charges to come” are expected beyond the murder count. She described the incident as an “ambush-style” attack on the “cold streets of Washington, D.C.”
While officials have not yet disclosed a motive, Pirro noted that investigators are executing warrants in Washington state, where the suspect resided, and other locations.
Suspect background and entry to U.S.
Lakanwal is an Afghan national who entered the United States in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome. This was a Biden administration program designed to evacuate Afghans following the U.S. withdrawal from the region.
According to interviews conducted by the AP, Lakanwal previously served in a CIA-backed Afghan Army unit known as a “Zero Unit.”
A cousin and a former unit official told the AP that Lakanwal worked as a GPS specialist and team leader in Kandahar.
Lakanwal applied for asylum during the Biden administration, but the advocacy group #AfghanEvac said the Trump administration approved his asylum. He had been living in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children prior to the shooting.
Political fallout and policy shifts
The shooting has intensified the political debate surrounding immigration and national security. The National Guard members were in the capital as part of President Donald Trump’s federalized crime-fighting mission, dubbed “Operation D.C. Safe and Beautiful.”
Trump labeled the shooting a “terrorist attack” and criticized the previous administration’s vetting process.
On Wednesday night, Trump called for a reinvestigation of all Afghan refugees who entered under the Biden administration.
Joseph Edlow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, stated that the agency would implement maximum screening measures. The measures target individuals from 19 “high-risk” countries, but officials did not name the specific nations.
Tributes to the victims
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey ordered flags to be flown at half-staff Friday, honoring Beckstrom and Wolfe as “West Virginia heroes.”
“Their courage and commitment to duty represent the very best of our state,” Morrisey said.
The West Virginia National Guard released a statement noting that Beckstrom had enlisted in 2023, immediately after high school. She was remembered as a soldier who “exemplified leadership, dedication, and professionalism” and had volunteered for the D.C. deployment.
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The D.C. Shooting Shows a Nation Losing Its Grip on Public Order
