The other soldier, Andrew Wolfe, 24, was taken to hospital in critical condition after the incident on Wednesday afternoon. On Friday, West Virginia’s governor said Wolfe remained in a “very critical condition”.<\/p>\n
![\"Andrew](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/skynews-sarah-beckstrom-i-national-guard_7093670.jpg\")
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Image:
\n Andrew Wolfe and Sarah Beckstrom. Pic: Reuters<\/p>\n
US attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office said the suspect, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, now faces charges including one count of first-degree murder, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.<\/p>\n
Pirro said there are “many charges to come” beyond the upgraded murder charge and that Lakanwal had driven across the country to launch an “ambush-style” attack with a revolver.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/skynews-donald-trump-washington-dc_7093142.jpg\")
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2:44<\/p>\n
Trump condemns ‘animal’ shooting suspect<\/p>\n
She said her heart went out to the family of Beckstrom, who volunteered to serve and “ended up being shot ambush-style on the cold streets of Washington DC by an individual who will now be charged with murder in the first degree”.<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump called Beckstrom, part of the West Virginia guard, a “highly respected” and “magnificent person”.<\/p>\n
Spotify<\/p>\n
This content is provided by Spotify, which may be using cookies and other technologies. Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Spotify cookies. Enable Cookies<\/a> \ud83d\udc49 Tap to follow Trump100 wherever you get your podcasts<\/a>\ud83d\udc48<\/p>\n Investigators are continuing to execute warrants in the state of Washington, where the suspect lived, and other parts of the country, Pirro said.<\/p>\n However, she declined to discuss the suspect’s motive, saying officials have been working around the clock on that question.<\/p>\n Officials said Lakanwal entered the US in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden administration programme that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the US’s chaotic withdrawal from the country.<\/p>\n People who knew him say he served in a CIA-backed Afghan army unit<\/a> before immigrating to the US.<\/p>\n Kristina Widman, Lakanwal’s former landlord, said he had been living in Bellingham, close to Seattle, with his wife and five children.<\/p>\n The #AfghanEvac charity said Lakanwal applied for asylum during the Biden administration, but his asylum was approved under the Trump administration.<\/p>\n Read more: On Wednesday night, Mr Trump called for the reinvestigation of all Afghan refugees who had entered under the Biden administration.<\/p>\n The director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, said in a statement that the agency would take additional steps to screen people from 19 “high-risk” countries “to the maximum degree possible”.<\/p>\n
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Trump’s targeting of ‘third world’ immigrants spreads fear<\/a>
US to review immigration from 19 countries after shooting<\/a><\/p>\n