A 20-year-old National Guard member shot in Washington D.C. has died, sparking presidential calls for a strict immigration review and federal prosecutors’ intent to seek the death penalty against the Afghan suspect.
President Donald Trump confirmed the death of Private Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia on Thursday evening, praising her as a “respected, revered, young and excellent person.” He later spoke with her parents.
Beckstrom was shot at close range on Wednesday near Farragut Square, a central district in Washington D.C., while on high-visibility patrol during the Thanksgiving holiday period.
Federal authorities identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national. He was reportedly shot four times during his apprehension.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro had initially announced charges including three counts of assault with intent to kill with a firearm. Following Beckstrom’s death, these charges are expected to be upgraded to first-degree intentional murder.
Federal prosecutor Pam Bondi declared the Justice Department would seek the death penalty for Lakanwal, calling him a “monster who should not be in our country.”
Lakanwal entered the United States in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, a program offering immigration protection to Afghans after the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. He applied for asylum in 2024 and received approval earlier this year.
The suspect previously worked with U.S. forces in Afghanistan as part of the Kandahar Strike Force, which operated in conjunction with the CIA and Afghan intelligence. He was a GPS tracking specialist and had to leave Kabul airport during the Taliban takeover.
President Trump ordered the Director of the U.S. Immigration Agency to conduct a “thorough and strict re-examination of green cards” for all foreign nationals from countries deemed “of concern,” including Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, and Venezuela.
Another service member, 24-year-old Andrew Wolf, was also injured in the incident. President Trump stated Wolf remains in “critical condition” in the hospital.
Beckstrom joined the National Guard on June 26, 2023, and had volunteered for duty in the capital during the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday.
More than 2,000 National Guard members have been deployed to Washington D.C. since August, following a presidential order to address what Trump described as “uncontrolled crime.”