Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, were identified by Pirro as the two victims of the shooting.
WASHINGTON — A 20-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man were identified by US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro as the two West Virginia National Guard members who were shot near the White House.
Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe were both in critical condition on Thursday, according to Pirro, both National Guard members had undergone surgery at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
Pirro said that Beckstrom and Wolfe had been sworn in less than 24 hours before they were shot.
From Berkeley County, W.V., Wolfe had been previously identified by his alma mater Musselman High School in Inwood, as one of the victims of Wednesday’s shooting in a now-deleted Facebook post.
“Andrew is currently in critical condition and undergoing surgery. Please keep Andrew, his family and all those affected in your thoughts,” Musselman High School had posted.
Alleged shooter worked with the CIA in Afghanistan
The shooting suspect was identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an immigrant from Afghanistan. According to Pirro, Lakanwal had collaborated with the U.S. government during the War in Afghanistan and had moved to the United States in 2021 after America’s withdrawal.
Immigrating through the Operation Allies Welcome program, Lakanwal had been living in Bellingham, Wash., a west coast city about three miles from the U.S. – Canada border. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said the man had traveled cross-country in a car to carry out the shooting.
Pirro laid blame on former President Joe Biden and his handling of the U.S. withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan for the suspect’s entry into the United States.
“He entered the United States under Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome, a program following the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan,” Pirro said.
She claimed the suspect had not been adequately screened before entering the United States.
“We should not have to live in fear in the nation’s capital, especially by one who came here from a foreign country — through a process that was so absurd,” Pirro said. “… This is what happens in this country when people are let into this country who are not properly vetted.”
FBI Director Kash Patel, dressed in a Joint Terrorism Task Force windbreaker, said the bureau was investigating the attack as an act of terrorism.
The US Attorney said she planned on charging Lakanwal with three counts of first-degree assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.