Breaking News: Two National Guardsmen Shot in D.C.
11/26/2025
Samuel Clifford
According to various sources including Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem as well as President Donald Trump, a suspect has shot two national guardsmen near the White House today (November 26, 2025) who are both critically wounded and in the hospital. Local police have said that a suspect is in custody. According to the source of AP News the suspect was also shot but his conditions are not life threatening. Medical responders have transported both the national guardsmen and the suspect to the hospital according to Vito Maggiolo who is the public information officer for the DC Fire and Emergency Services. The two National Guard members are a man and a woman. According to a D.C. police official the incident occurred at 2:20 p.m. EST. More details will be posted as information is made public. At this time, prayers are needed for these guardsmen and their families.
According to the Governor of West Virginia, Patrick Morrisey, the two National Guard members were members of West Virginia's National Guard. He also stated that they have died and lost their lives in the service of their country. As of 4:16 p.m. the office of Patrick Morrisey said they received conflicting reports about the condition of the two Guard members.
This is a direct screenshot from the White House Instagram Account. The post was made on 11/26/2025 around 3:29 p.m. Below is Governor of West Virginia, Patrick Morrisey's statement on the guardsmen. This screenshot was taken from X.
In the video above, F.B.I. director Kash Patel said that the National Guard members who were shot are not dead but in critical condition. He stated that the suspect is in custody due to the heroism and training of the National Guard and that as of 4:54 pm the investigation is preliminary. Furthermore, in the video Chief Carroll of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department said that the Guard members who were shot were armed and it is unclear who shot the suspect. Chris Jeffrey Carrol also said that the shooting took place around 2:15 p.m. The suspect came around a corner, raised his gun and fired at the soldiers, he said.
To the right is supposedly a photo of the suspect who shot the two National Guard members.
Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/DRiK0IBAMjF/?igsh=MXB2ZjR5dXg3OXVyMA==
According to sources the shooting took place at the entrance of the Farragut West Metro Station. Its location in relation to the White House is below.
According to Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, 500 additional national guardsmen will be sent to Washington D.C. to ensure D.C. is safe and beautiful. He stated that this event has only stiffened his resolve. Above is the video of his statements. Furthermore, the government has filed an emergency request asking a higher court to pause a federal judge’s order that could stop National Guard troops from being deployed in Washington starting Dec. 11. They want the appeals court to step in by Dec. 4, which could allow the deployment to continue while the case is reviewed. In the filing, the Justice Department repeated its position that the president has the authority to control the National Guard in Washington.
Investigation
Law enforcement officials have stated that the F.B.I. will investigate the shooting as a possible act of terrorism initially because the suspect has been initially identified as an Afghanistan national. CBS News now says the suspect has been identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29 year old male. According to several law enforcement sources, Lakanwal is an Afghan national who came to the United States in 2021.
According to Kristi Noem, Rahmanullah Lakanwal was mass patrolled into the United States under Operation Allies Welcome on September 8, 2021 during the Biden Administration. The official X account for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services also stated that effective immediately all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further security reviews.
In the video to the right, Trump calls the shooting an "act of terror" and a "crime against our entire nation and a crime against humanity." He states that he is confident the suspect is in custody and flown in by the Biden Administration in September 2021. He continues by talking about the immigration problem that the United States is currently facing.
To the left is a screenshot from Secretary Kristi Noem's X Account. Below is a screenshot from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services X account. Both posts were made on 11/26/2025.
On November 27, 2025 President Donald J. Trump has confirmed that U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, one of the National Guard members who was shot on Wednesday, had died.
Sources:
Barr, Luke. “2 National Guardsmen Shot Near White House: Officials.” ABC News, 26 Nov. 2025,
“2 National Guard Members Shot near White House in Washington, D.C.” AP News,
https://apnews.com/article/national-guard-shooting-dc-c5785dd8920d2d1ac7d71fab769faf5f.
“National Guard Shooting in Washington, D.C.: Live Updates.” The New York Times, 26 Nov. 2025,
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/11/26/us/national-guard-shooting-dc.
“Live Updates: Shooting in Washington, D.C., near White House.” NBC News, 26 Nov. 2025,
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/live-updates-shooting-washington-dc-white-house-rcna246122. NBC News
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Case No. 42631, Document 01208799837.
RECAP Archive, CourtListener,
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cadc.42631/gov.uscourts.cadc.42631.01208799837.0_1.pdf.
“Two National Guard Members in Critical Condition after Shooting near White House, FBI Director Says.” BBC News, 26 Nov. 2025,
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cm2w9xypxjxt.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRiIFSLiS6I/?igsh=MTc0MGUzMGRqNmF0