National Guard member shot in DC has shown positive signs, governor says
Dec 1, 2025, 11:17 AM
A person walks past a makeshift memorial for U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe outside of Farragut West Station, near the site where the two National Guard members were shot, Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia National Guard member who was shot last week in a brazen daytime attack in Washington, D.C., remains in serious condition but showed positive signs by giving a thumbs-up that he could hear a nurse’s question and wiggling his toes, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Monday.
Morrisey said the family of 24-year-old U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe has asked the public to pray for him. Another member of the West Virginia National Guard, U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was killed in the shooting.
“Andrew is still fighting for his life,” Morrisey said. “Andrew needs prayers.”
Morrisey said he could not yet share details of any funeral arrangements for Beckstrom and wants to respect her family’s wishes.
Beckstrom and Wolfe were shot Wednesday just blocks from the White House while deployed as part of President Donald Trump’s crime-fighting plan that federalized D.C. police.
Investigators are working to determine a motive. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, is charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of assault in the shooting.
Authorities said Lakanwal, who was shot in the confrontation, remained hospitalized and a court appearance has not yet been scheduled.
The shooting prompted the Trump administration to halt all asylum decisions and pause issuing visas for people traveling on Afghan passports.
