Two West Virginia National Guard Members Critically Injured in D.C. Ambush by Afghan Refugee

 

The female West Virginia National Guard member critically wounded in Wednesday’s ambush near the White House has been identified as 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom. Officials say she had volunteered to work so that others could spend Thanksgiving with their families. She and 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe were both shot and remain in critical condition after emergency surgery.

According to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Beckstrom and Wolfe had been sworn in less than a day before the attack. Authorities say the pair were targeted when 29-year-old Afghan refugee Rahmanullah Lakanwal allegedly opened fire near the Farragut West Metro Station in Northwest Washington, D.C. Investigators are treating the shooting as a potential terrorist attack. Lakanwal was shot by responding guard members.

Lakanwal, a former Afghan Army member who supported U.S. Special Forces in Kandahar, arrived in the U.S. in 2021 under a program assisting vulnerable Afghan allies. He applied for asylum in December 2024 and was granted approval in April 2025. Officials say he had no known criminal history.

The investigation remains ongoing.

 

🚨BREAKING: Both of the National Guard soldiers who were shot in DC have made it through surgery, and are with their families. PRAY!

🚨 The two have been IDENTIFIED as Sarah Beckstrom (20) and Andrew Wolfe (24), of West Virginia.

"They both came through surgery. I'm not going… pic.twitter.com/RejPRuk4b9

— David Medina 🦫🇺🇸 (@davidmedinapdx) November 27, 2025