The 29-year-old Afghan national arrested in connection with Wednesday’s shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., was charged with first-degree murder on Friday, following the death of 20-year-old National Guard Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who immigrated to the U.S. in 2021 and recently settled in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children, was upgraded from initial assault charges following Beckstrom’s death, authorities said.
Beckstrom, a West Virginia National Guard member deployed to the capital for security operations, succumbed to her injuries late Thursday at a local hospital, President Donald Trump confirmed in a statement.
The second victim, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical but stable condition at George Washington University Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery.
“We are hoping the more information we can get … the more we will find out about what actually happened in terms of this individual even being in this country to ambush and shoot down an innocent young woman,” Pirro said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends,” adding that there may be more charges to come.
Pirro, flanked by FBI Director Kash Patel during a Thursday press conference, detailed how Lakanwal faced three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, plus firearm possession during a crime of violence.
The shooting unfolded Wednesday afternoon near the Farragut West Metro station amid a heightened National Guard presence in D.C.
Once a trusted ally in America’s longest war, Lakanwal was part of a CIA-backed paramilitary organization responsible for securing U.S. and NATO bases in Kabul, Afghan and U.S. officials told The New York Times.
Fleeing Taliban threats, Lakanwal was granted asylum under the Trump administration in April 2025.
Trump vowed swift justice.
“We are filled with righteous anger and ferocious resolve,” Trump said in a public address. “I am determined to ensure that the animal who perpetrated this atrocity pays the steepest possible price.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi echoed the sentiment, signaling the pursuit of the federal death penalty if convicted.
The attack has reignited debates over vetting Afghan evacuees, as Republicans were critical of the Biden administration’s handling of the humanitarian parole program after the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
