Tragedy Strikes as National Guard Member Dies in DC Shooting
One of the two members of the National Guard who were shot in Washington DC on Wednesday has died, US President Donald Trump said.
Sarah Beckstrom, 20, succumbed to her injuries, while the second National Guard member, 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, is fighting for his life, Trump said on Thursday evening.
Both were shot at close range near Farragut Square in downtown DC just after 14:00 EST (19:00 GMT) on Wednesday. Police have arrested one suspect in the shooting, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old from Afghanistan.
On Friday, the US attorney for Washington DC announced the initial charges of assault against the suspect will be upgraded to murder in the first degree.
It is a premeditated murder. There was an ambush with a gun toward people who didn't know what was coming, Jeanine Pirro told Fox and Friends. And that is the homicide, and that is the murder that we're looking at right now.
The two soldiers who were attacked had been deployed to the American capital as part of the Trump administration's efforts to crack down on what it sees as rampant crime in several US cities.
Trump confirmed Ms Beckstrom's death while on a Thanksgiving call with US service members.
Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, one of the guardsmen that we're talking about, highly respected, young, magnificent person... She's just passed away. She's no longer with us, he said.
Trump later spoke to her parents, a White House official told BBC's US partner CBS News.
The US president previously said the attack underlined a major national security threat.
The attack has prompted a range of announcements from the Trump administration aimed at curbing migration from Afghanistan and a number of other countries.
Officials said they would suspend processing all immigration requests from Afghans, and re-examine green cards issued to individuals who migrated to the US from 19 countries.
When asked by the BBC which countries were on the list, the agency pointed to a June proclamation by the White House that included Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia and Venezuela.
On Thursday, Trump went on to vow to permanently pause migration to the US from all third world countries, without providing details of his plan or naming which countries might be affected.
Victim had volunteered to work at Thanksgiving
Ms Beckstrom had enlisted on 26 June 2023 and was assigned to the 863rd Military Police Company, 111th Engineer Brigade of the West Virginia Army National Guard.
She had volunteered to work in Washington over the US holiday Thanksgiving, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News following the shooting.
Jim Justice, a Republican senator from West Virginia, said he was absolutely devastated to learn of Ms Beckstrom's passing.
Our prayers are with her family, friends, and fellow guardsmen during an incredibly difficult Thanksgiving Day, he said.
We are also lifting up Andrew Wolfe in prayer as he continues his journey to recovery.
Both soldiers had been on a high-visibility patrol in downtown Washington.
More than 2,000 troops have been guarding the nation's capital since August, when the president began deploying troops to cities to tackle what he called out of control crime.
Ms Beckstrom and Mr Wolfe were deployed in August, the West Virginia National Guard confirmed to BBC News.
National Guard troops are a reservist force that can be activated to serve as military troops, but have limited power as they cannot enforce the law or make arrests.
The location of the shooting, just blocks from the White House, meant a number of law enforcement officials arrived quickly at the scene to treat the two victims and apprehend the gunman.
The suspect was shot four times, law enforcement sources told CBS.
