WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Charges against the man accused of shooting two National Guard members have been upgraded to first-degree murder\u2026<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Charges against the man accused of shooting two National Guard members<\/a> have been upgraded to first-degree murder after one of the soldiers died, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia announced Friday, while investigators continued to seek a motive.<\/p>\n Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, were hospitalized in critical condition after the Wednesday afternoon shooting<\/a> near the White House. President Donald Trump announced Thursday evening that Beckstrom had died. <\/p>\n U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro\u2019s office said the charges against Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who worked with the CIA during the Afghanistan War, now include one count of first-degree murder and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed. <\/p>\n The Trump administration said Friday it is halting all asylum decisions and has also paused issuing visas for people traveling on Afghan passports.<\/p>\n Beckstrom and Wolfe were deployed with the West Virginia National Guard as part of Trump\u2019s crime-fighting mission<\/a> that federalized the D.C. police force. The president also has deployed or tried to deploy National Guard members to other cities to assist with his mass deportation efforts but has faced court challenges.<\/p>\n Asylum decisions halted<\/p>\n Trump called the shooting a \u201cterrorist attack\u201d and criticized the Biden administration for enabling Afghans who worked with U.S. forces during the Afghanistan War to enter the U.S. The president has said he wants to \u201cpermanently pause migration\u201d from poorer nations<\/a> and expel millions of immigrants from the country. <\/p>\n The director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, said in a post on the social platform X that asylum decisions will be paused \u201cuntil we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.\u201d <\/p>\n Experts say the U.S. has rigorous vetting systems for asylum-seekers. Asylum claims made from inside the country through USCIS have long faced backlogs. Critics say the slow down has been exacerbated during the Trump administration. <\/p>\n In an interview on Fox News, Pirro said there are \u201cmany charges to come\u201d beyond the upgraded murder charge. She said her heart goes out to the family of Beckstrom, who volunteered to serve and \u201cended up being shot ambush-style on the cold streets of Washington, D.C.\u201d<\/p>\n Pirro said officials have been working around the clock<\/a> to determine the suspect\u2019s motive. Investigators are executing warrants in the state of Washington, where Lakanwal lived, and other parts of the country.<\/p>\n Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited National Guard troops in the nation\u2019s capital Friday and led them in a prayer for Beckstrom and Wolfe.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of you may have known her,\u201d Hegseth said of Beckstrom. \u201cObviously a beautiful human being and a great American willing to serve her country brutally targeted.\u201d<\/p>\n Hegseth said he and his wife briefly visited Wolfe on Thursday night \u201cto be there, lay hands on him, pray over him.\u201d<\/p>\n Wolfe remains in \u201cvery critical condition,\u201d West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Friday. He ordered state flags to be flown at half-staff in recognition of Beckstrom\u2019s death.<\/p>\n Lakanwal entered the US in 2021<\/p>\n Lakanwal has been living in Bellingham, Washington, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Seattle, with his wife and five children, said his former landlord, Kristina Widman.<\/p>\n Mohammad Sherzad, a neighbor of Lakanwal\u2019s, told the AP in a phone interview Friday that Lakanwal was polite, quiet and spoke very little English. <\/p>\n Sherzad said he attended the same mosque as Lakanwal and had heard from other members that Lakanwal was struggling to find work. Some of his children attended the same school as Lakanwal\u2019s children, Sherzad said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was so quiet and the kids were so polite, they were so playful. But we didn\u2019t see anything bad about him,\u201d Sherzad said. Sherzad said Lakanwal \u201cdisappeared\u201d about two weeks ago. <\/p>\n Lakanwal had briefly worked as an independent contractor for Amazon Flex, which allows people to use their own cars to deliver packages, a company spokesperson shared with The Associated Press. Lakanwal delivered packages from the end of July to the end of August and hadn\u2019t been active since. <\/p>\n