A shooting near the White House on Wednesday has shocked the nation. National Guardsmen Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, were attacked near the Farragut metro station in what the FBI is investigating as a suspected terrorist act.
Beckstrom was shot in the head and chest by Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, using a .357 Magnum. Wolfe was also injured before another Guardsman fought the attacker off with a pocket knife until a fourth soldier shot and stopped him. Both victims had been sworn in less than 24 hours earlier.
Beckstrom’s father confirmed she had a fatal injury. Later, during a Thanksgiving call, President Donald Trump announced she had died, calling her “an incredible person.”
Lakanwal reportedly served in a CIA-backed Afghan unit before coming to the U.S.
In Beckstrom’s hometown of Webster Springs, prayer vigils were organized, and residents were encouraged to wear blue ribbons in her honor. Funeral details have not yet been released.