Streets are blocked after two National Guard soldiers were shot near the White House in Washington. (Photo by Anthony Peltier/Associated Press)
Federal authorities Friday are considering the death penalty for a man with San Diego connections who is suspected of shooting two members of a West Virginia National Guard unit in Washington, D.C. — killing one and critically injuring the other.
During a series of media appearances on Thursday, Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters she would seek the death penalty against Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who entered the United States in 2021. According to ABC News, Lakanwal applied for asylum in 2024 and it was granted in April under the Trump administration.
“I will tell you right now, I will tell you early, we will do everything in our power to seek the death penalty against that monster who should not have been in our country,” Bondi said in interviews before it was learned that one of the Guard members, Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died from her injuries.
The other Guardsman, Private First Class Andrew Wolfe, 24, was listed in critical condition after undergoing surgery, according to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.
FBI Director Kash Patel told reporters, “a search warrant had been executed at the suspect’s last known address in Washington state. Based on what was found at the address, law enforcement was able to find people associated with him in San Diego.”
“During that process, we seized numerous electronic devices to include cell phones, laptops, iPads and other material that is being analyzed as we speak,” Patel continued. “… Interviews were conducted and are going to be continue to be conducted, and we will go anywhere in the country or the world where the evidence leads us.”
In an emailed response Thursday, a spokesperson for the FBI’s San Diego office did not provide further details about the case, and referred media outlets to “remarks made during the (earlier) press conference.”
On Wednesday afternoon, a man now identified as Lakanwal shot the two members of the West Virginia National Guard “in an ambush-style attack” in the nation’s capital.
Beckstrom died later Thursday, officials said.
“A few moments ago, Specialist Sarah Beckstrom passed away from the injuries sustained during yesterday’s horrific shooting,” West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey posted Thursday on X. “This is not the result we hoped for, but it is the result we all feared,
“Sarah served with courage, extraordinary resolve and an unwavering sense of duty to her state and to her nation,” Morrisey wrote. “She answered the call to serve, stepped forward willingly, and carried out her mission with the strength and character that define the very best of the West Virginia National Guard.
“Today, we honor her bravery and her sacrifice as we mourn the loss of a young woman who gave everything she had in defense of others. We will forever hold her family, her friends and her fellow Guardsmen in our prayers as they grieve what no family should ever have to bear.”
The shooter is believed to have acted alone.
CBS reported that CIA officials said Lakanwal “previously worked with the U.S. government, including the CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar that ended in 2021 following the withdrawal from Afghanistan.”
In addition to the possibility of the death penalty, federal officials said Lakanwal will be charged with three counts of assault with the intent to kill while armed and criminal possession of a weapon.
Officials said Lakanwal — who is married and has five children — “drove from his residence in (Bellingham) Washington state to the nation’s capital prior to the shooting and targeted the Guardsmen.”
Patel described the probe as a “coast-to-coast investigation,” and added that officials “are interviewing individuals at the suspect’s home and in San Diego.”
Following the shooting, the Trump administration suspended processing all immigration requests from Afghans, according to a BBC report.
The leader of a San Diego-based nonprofit that helps relocate and resettle Afghan allies said Thursday that the Afghan community “should not be scapegoated because of the shooting.”
“Afghan wartime allies risked their lives for U.S. missions,” said Shawn VanDiver, president and board chairman of AfghanEvac. “This single act does not reflect Afghan values, AfghanEvac partners or the tens of thousands of Afghans building safe, productive lives in the U.S.
“This individual’s case appears to be a tragic outlier — not a pattern,” he added. “Claims about `vetting failures’ are premature and not supported by evidence.”
An Afghan group representative sent a statement that strongly condemn the shooting.
“It is the isolated and irresponsible action of a single individual and in no way represents the Afghan community or the values of Afghan immigrants in the United States,” wrote Lal Gul Lal, on behalf of the Alliance of Afghan Communities in the United States.
“First and foremost, we extend our deepest condolences to the family of the fallen service member and our prayers for the full recovery of the injured soldier,” Lal added.
Updated at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 29, 2025
–City News Service
READ NEXT