Two National Guard Members Shot in D.C.: What We Know So Far

Two West Virginia National Guard servicemembers deployed to Washington, D.C., are in critical condition after they were shot near the White House on Wednesday in what officials have called a “targeted” attack.

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The shooting happened at around 2:15 p.m., while National Guard members were conducting “high visibility patrols,” Metropolitan Police Department Executive Assistant Chief Jeffery Carroll said in a press conference. The suspect appeared to be a “lone gunman,” Carroll said. He was taken into custody after an exchange of gunfire, although Carroll said it was unclear whether he was shot by one of the guard members or another law enforcement officer responding to the scene. The suspect, who was apprehended, was transported to a hospital, as were the injured National Guard members.

“The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen, with both being critically wounded, and now in two separate hospitals, is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price,” President Donald Trump, who was at his Mar-a-Lago beach club in Florida at the time, posted on Truth Social.

Trump, who controversially mobilized more than 2,000 National Guard members to the nation’s capital since August in an effort to combat crime and “beautify” the city, ordered an additional 500 National Guard members to be deployed to D.C. since the shooting, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced. “We will never back down. We will secure our capital,” Hegseth said.

Later, in a video address, Trump called the shooting “a monstrous, ambush-style attack” and “an act of terror.” He hailed the mission of the National Guard troops deployed to D.C. and reiterated that the shooter would pay “the steepest possible price.”

“As we are filled with anguish and grief for those who were shot, we are also filled with righteous anger and ferocious resolve,” Trump added, before identifying the shooter as an Afghan national who came to the U.S. during President Joe Biden’s Administration and using the attack to promote his anti-immigration platform.

“We must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden, and we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here, or add benefit to our country,” Trump said. “If they can’t love our country, we don’t want them.”

Here’s what we know so far.

What happened?

The incident occurred in the area of 17th and I Street Northwest, Carroll said, which is roughly two blocks from the White House. Carroll said the suspect “came around the corner” and “immediately” fired at the patrolling National Guard members.

After hearing gunfire, other National Guard members intervened and eventually held down the suspect, whom Carroll said was shot “during the interaction,” though it remained unclear by whom. In photos and videos on social media, Secret Service officers could also be seen responding to the scene, and other law enforcement in the area soon arrived to assist in the incident, Carroll said.

Who are the victims?

The two National Guard members from West Virginia, who have not been publicly identified, were a woman and a man, a law enforcement official told ABC. They are being treated at local hospitals.

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey, in a video message posted on X, condemned the shooting as “an act of unspeakable violence.”

Morrisey initially said in a post that the two victims had died, before appearing to retract that announcement, noting in a follow-up post that his office was “receiving conflicting reports” about their conditions.

Who is the suspect?

Law enforcement officials have identified the suspect to the Associated Press and other outlets as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who immigrated to the U.S. in 2021 and was granted asylum this year. Officials told CNN that the suspect was identified by running his fingerprints, although they are still seeking additional confirmation.

“At this point we have no other suspects,” Carroll said.

In his video address Wednesday night, Trump said that the Department of Homeland Security is “confident that the suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan, a hellhole on Earth.” 

“He was flown in by the Biden Administration in September 2021 on those infamous flights that everybody was talking about,” Trump said, referring to the chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan after the U.S.’s withdrawal from the country. “Nobody knew who was coming in. Nobody knew anything about it. His status was extended under legislation signed by President Biden, a disastrous President, the worst in the history of our country. This attack underscores the single greatest national security threat facing our nation. The last Administration let in 20 million unknown and unvetted foreigners from all over the world, from places that you don’t want to even know about. No country can tolerate such a risk to our very survival.”

The suspect sustained gunshot wounds that are not believed to be life-threatening, a law enforcement official told the AP.

Officials believe the suspect used a handgun, which investigators have recovered, officials told CNN. The officials said they are still determining how and when the suspect obtained the gun. The sale of firearms to people who are not citizens or legal permanent residents is restricted by federal law. Washington state—where the suspect is believed to have been living, according to AP sources—also has strict gun laws, including background checks on all sales and transfers.

The FBI is initially investigating the shooting as a potential act of international terrorism, officials told NBC.

Vice President J.D. Vance, in an address to troops at Fort Campbell, Ky., said: “We’re still learning everything. We still don’t know the motive. There’s a lot that we haven’t yet figured out.”