U.S. President Donald Trump has announced the death of one of the two National Guard officers who were shot on Wednesday in Washington, DC.
The second National Guard member, Andrew Wolfe, 24, “is fighting for his life,” according to Trump on Thursday night, while Sarah Beckstrom, 20, passed away from her wounds. Just after 14:00 EST (19:00 GMT) on Wednesday, both were shot at close range close to Farragut Square in downtown Washington, DC.
One suspect in the incident, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan, has been taken into custody by the police. The Trump administration has made a series of statements in response to the attack that are intended to reduce immigration from Afghanistan and several other nations.
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.
The US president previously said the attack underlined a major national security threat.
President Trump praised her as outstanding, linked the attack to the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, and directed a reexamination of green cards from 19 countries plus vows to pause migration from certain nations. A solemn motorcade honored her remains on Thanksgiving evening, as leaders including House Speaker Mike Johnson and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino expressed grief for the young patriot.