WASHINGTON (7News) — It’s been three days since two National Guard members were shot by an Afghan national in downtown D.C.
Since then, there have been multiple developments.
Top officials said the two guard members were shot multiple times during the targeted ambush. The FBI said the shooting is being investigated as a terrorist attack.
READ MORE | TIMELINE: How the National Guard shooting in DC unfolded and what happens now
Around 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, soldiers Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe were shot while on duty near a packed Farragut Square in downtown D.C.
Hours later, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said he’s sending 500 more members to D.C.
“You picked the wrong target, the wrong city,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. “And the wrong country, and you’ll be sorry for the violence and evil that you perpetrated in our nation’s capital.”
Thursday morning, high-ranking officials, including Pirro, FBI director Kash Patel, and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, provided the first major update, saying that an Afghan national drove across the country from Washington state to D.C. and targeted the guard members. He worked with the CIA in Afghanistan and came to the United States under Operation Allies Welcome.
“I want to be very clear with the judge and everyone that’s reported here, somebody drove across the country, came to Washington, D.C., to attack America,” said Mayor Bowser. “And that person will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. These young people should be at home in West Virginia with their families.”
On the night of Thanksgiving, Sarah Beckstrom died from her injuries in the hospital with her dad by her side.
She was just 20 years old. Her father shared this message, saying, “My baby girl has passed to glory. If I don’t talk to you, don’t be offended. This has been a horrible tragedy.”
Their community back home in West Virginia is reflecting on the loss, and that Wolfe is still fighting for his life.
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Friday night, the director of U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, posted this statement on social media, saying, “USCIS has halted all asylum decisions until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.”
President Donald Trump is saying he will permanently pause migration from all third-world countries.
Before the shooting, there were 2,188 National Guard members in D.C., 180 were from West Virginia.