Members of the U.S. Secret Service and other law enforcement respond to the shooting of two West Virginia National Guard members near the White House on November 26, 2025. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON – The man accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members in the District of Columbia pleaded not guilty at his arraignment hearing Tuesday, where he appeared virtually from a hospital bed.
U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, has died as a result of their injuries, and U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains hospitalized with sedate injuries.
D.C. Superior Court Judge Renee Raymond denied bail for 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who officials say drove across the United States to the District from his residence in Washington state. The guards were attacked while on duty in a downtown neighborhood just blocks from the White House.
“He traveled 3,000 miles across the country armed with a specific goal in mind,” Judge Raymond said in her reasoning for denying bail. “The government’s arguments are extremely convincing.”
The US Attorney’s Office filed complaint Tuesday for first-degree murder at gunpoint; possession of a firearm; and assault with intent to kill.
Lakanwal’s next court date is January 14.
“The nature and circumstances of the present offense, the strength of the government’s case, and the sheer terror that resulted from it and continues to arise as a result of its actions lead me to conclude that no condition or combination of conditions can adequately ensure the safety of the community,” Raymond said.
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey wrote on social media Tuesday that Wolfe “remains in critical condition but is stable.”
“Doctors and the family are optimistic about his current progress, noting that he has responded to some basic requests such as a thumbs-up sign and wiggling his toes,” Morrisey said.
troops in the district
Members of the West Virginia National Guard filmed last week are among 2,000 troops stationed in the county since August after President Donald Trump declared a “crime emergency.”
Republican governors have offered to send their states’ reserves of National Guard troops to the nation’s capital. A federal judge ruled last month that the president’s deployment of troops to the District was illegal.
Lakanwal was granted asylum this year after he came to the United States as part of a special humanitarian program for Afghan allies serving alongside American forces and had to flee the country after the Taliban took over it following the cluttered U.S. withdrawal in 2021.
The shooting, which occurred on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday, led to Trump expanding his hold on office crackdown by immigration authorities This includes a halt to asylum applications and increased examination of visa applications from Afghan nationals.
“After last week’s atrocities, it is more important than ever to complete the president’s mass deportation effort,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at Monday’s press briefing. “They have to return to their home countries.”
A translator appears for Lakanwal
During Tuesday’s arraignment, Lakanwal appeared to fidget in his hospital bed in pain. A translator also appeared virtually for Lakanwal.
Lakanwal’s lawyer raised concerns about future press conferences by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, a former Fox News host, warning that it could harm a “free and fair trial” for Lakanwal. Pirro held a press conference on Thanksgiving morning to discuss the shooting.
“The government will, at its peril … continue to unsettle potential jurors against Mr. Lakanwal based on its press conferences,” he said.
Defense Department press secretary Kingsley Wilson said during a briefing Tuesday at the Pentagon that all National Guard members in the district would be armed.
After last week’s shooting, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he would call for an additional 500 National Guard members to be deployed to the District.
It’s unclear whether that policy would violate a federal judge’s order that ruled the operation unlawful in August. The federal judge suspended her Nov. 20 order for three weeks to give the government time to either appeal or withdraw troops. The Trump administration filed an emergency complaint after the shooting in the district.
Ashley Murray contributed to this report.
