President Donald Trump announced Thursday evening that U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, one of two West Virginia National Guard members shot near the White House on Wednesday, has died from her injuries.
Speaking during Thanksgiving calls with members of the military, Trump described Beckstrom, 20, as a “highly respected, young, magnificent person.”
“She’s just passed away. She’s no longer with us,” Trump said. “She’s looking down at us right now. Her parents are with her. It just happened.”
The second service member wounded in the attack, 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, remains in critical condition.
“The other young man is fighting for his life,” Trump said. “He’s in very bad shape.”
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor in Washington, confirmed Beckstrom’s death in a statement posted on social media.
“Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom of the National Guard — a hero who volunteered to serve D.C. on Thanksgiving for people she never met and gave the ultimate sacrifice,” Pirro wrote. “May she rest in peace. It is now time to avenge her death and secure justice.”
Earlier Thursday, federal authorities released new details about the shooting and the suspect.
The attack took place around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday near the Farragut West Metro station, where officials say 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal opened fire on National Guard personnel assigned to the capital.
According to Pirro, Lakanwal allegedly drove cross-country from Washington state to target Guard members deployed under Trump’s federal security order. Lakanwal—an Afghan national who arrived in the U.S. in 2021 and was granted asylum in April 2025—is being investigated by the FBI for a possible link to international terrorism.
Beckstrom and Wolfe were among more than 2,100 Guard members deployed in Washington, D.C., earlier this year as part of Trump’s federal takeover of the city’s policing operations.
Federal officials are expected to provide additional updates at a Thursday morning news conference.
