The surviving National Guard member wounded in the D.C. shooting is now breathing on his own and can stand with assistance, his medical team said Friday.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe’s medical team said in a statement that the National Guard member “has made extraordinary progress” in the 16 days since he was airlifted to MedStar Washington Hospital Center with a critical gunshot wound to the head.
National Guard member Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe
CBS News
“He is now breathing on his own and can stand with assistance—important milestones that reflect his strength and determination,” his neurosurgeon, Jeffrey Mai, said in the statement.
West Virginia National Guard members Wolfe, 24, and Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom were shot in an ambush-style attack in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 26. Beckstrom, 20, died from her injuries the following day.
Suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, was charged with murder, assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for the shooting. He pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said last week that Wolfe was “slowly healing” and his family expects Wolfe to be in acute care for another two to three weeks, but has been “optimistic about his progress.”
His medical team said Friday that Wolfe is ready to transition from acute care to inpatient rehabilitation based on his recent improvements.
His rehabilitation location was not disclosed due to his family’s request. Wolfe’s family thanked the medical staff, the doctors and nurses who cared for their son throughout his stay. The family said in a statement that the care “has been remarkable, and they have told us Andy’s progress is miraculous.”
Wolfe’s family said they know their son faces a long and tough rehabilitation.
“We know he will continue to improve at a rapid pace and know your prayers are making the difference. Please continue as God heals Andrew and gives him the strength to return to work, the West Virginia National Guard, and his new mission of being a light into this world,” the family said in a statement.
Investigators are still searching for a motive after two National Guard members were shot near the White House on Wednesday. One died Thursday, while the other remains in critical condition. The alleged gunman now faces a first-degree murder charge, according to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.
President Trump announced a series of immigration actions after the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. Those actions include pausing all current asylum decisions and reviewing all green card holders from 19 “countries of concern.”
Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Friday that no West Virginia National Guard members deployed to Washington, D.C., have requested to return home in the wake of Wednesday’s shooting of two West Virginia Guard members that left one dead and the second critically wounded.
“I haven’t heard of anyone step back,” Morrisey told CBS News in an interview. “They wanted to stay. They wanted to complete the mission and serve their state and country.”
Back in August, at President Trump’s request, Morrisey was one of several Republican governors that deployed National Guard soldiers to D.C., with West Virginia sending somewhere between 300 and 400 Guard members.
According to the military’s Joint Task Force – District of Columbia, there are 180 West Virginia Guard members deployed in D.C. as of Friday. They are among about 1,300 out-of-state Guard troops that were dispatched to D.C. as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to crack down on crime in the city.
Although Mr. Trump has ordered an additional 500 Guard personnel to D.C. in response to the shooting, Morrisey repeatedly sidestepped questions on whether West Virginia troops would join that surge.
Members of the National Guard patrol the National Mall on Nov. 28, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Andrew Leyden / Getty Images
And though he expressed openness towards it, Morrisey said he will not pre-judge future deployment decisions, and avoided committing additional units.
“Right now, I’m focusing on the families, the guardsmen, and healing,” the governor said. “As time evolves, I’ll keep talking with Guard leadership to make the right call.”
Still, he insisted the mission continues and should not be abandoned in the wake of the shooting.
“When evildoers come in and commit heinous acts, we can’t back down,” Morrisey said. “That’s exactly what they want.”
The suspect now faces charges of first degree murder. The former West Virginia attorney general told CBS News that the death penalty should remain “on the table.”
Twenty-year-old Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom was killed in Wednesday’s shooting, and 24-year-old Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe was critically wounded.
Morrisey, who met Beckstrom’s parents at the hospital following her death, described the young soldier as deeply respected among her unit — someone whose presence “brought positive energy to every room.”
“She was loved and respected greatly,” Morrisey said. “There’s an energy around her — people lining up to pay respects, showing sympathy, standing by their friend and the Guard.”
Wolfe, who remains in intensive care, comes from what Morrisey called “a rich tradition of service.” Wolfe’s father serves in the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office, and his grandfather earned multiple Purple Hearts. “His family asked for one thing — prayers,” Morrisey said. “He’s fighting for his life.”
Law enforcement sources told CBS News that following the ambush shooting, the suspected gunman, identified as a 29-year-old Afghan national, was stabbed with a pocketknife by a third Guard member, while a fourth returned fire and shot the suspect multiple times, ending the attack.
President Trump said Thursday that the suspect remains hospitalized in serious condition.
The governor Friday confirmed West Virginia soldiers were directly involved in subduing the alleged gunman, but withheld operational details pending a federal review. He praised their response as swift, coordinated and heroic, crediting them with preventing further casualties.
Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, the 20-year-old West Virginia National Guard member who was shot and killed in an ambush-style attack in Washington, D.C., is being remembered by former coworkers as energetic, funny and quick to laugh.
“Her coworkers would tell you she had a great sense of humor,” said Marcie Vaughan, CEO of Seneca Health Services. “She loved being part of the community. She would frequently go to events, engage others, and share resources that might positively impact their lives.”
An updated photo of National Guard member Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom.
Beckstrom was one of two members of the West Virginia National Guard who were shot in an ambush-style attack in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. The second victim, Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, underwent surgery on Wednesday and remains in critical condition. The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is believed to have acted alone.
Beckstrom worked for behavioral health agency, Seneca Health Services, as a community engagement specialist before her deployment and supported those at risk of psychiatric hospitalization, helping them remain stable and connected to care, Vaughan said.
“She had a passion for serving people,” Vaughan recalled. “Her decision to join the National Guard and to become a member of the behavioral health profession … that requires a person to have compassion. The fact she volunteered shows courage and dedication.”
Beckstrom is from Summersville, West Virginia, and served in the Guard since June 2023, according to a statement from the West Virginia National Guard. She volunteered to serve in the Trump administration’s D.C. National Guard deployment and was assigned to the 863rd Military Police Company, 111th Engineer Brigade at the time of the shooting.
“Her mother was very proud of everything Sarah had done,” Vaughan said. “We have a beautiful 20-year-old young lady whose life was cut short. It’s tragic.”
Beckstrom had been on active duty in Washington since August, part of the ongoing White House crime task force in Washington. Vaughan said colleagues are bracing for the emotional return to the office.
“It will be anguished,” Vaughan said. “Her mother was here the day this happened. Everyone is concerned, and saddened.”
Beckstrom was one of roughly 180 National Guard members currently deployed from West Virginia.
“The family just needs prayers,” Vaughan said. “Sarah was happy to serve — and it is a tragedy that this happened to her.”
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey told CBS News that while he never met Beckstrom in uniform, the outpouring of support from her unit, her commanders and her family has painted a clear picture of who she was.
“All the accounts about her over the last couple days have been nothing but so positive,” he said. “She looked like she was loved by the people in her unit, and they also respected her greatly.”
President Trump announced Thursday that he would “permanently pause” immigration from “Third-World Countries.” The declaration comes as the Trump administration takes aim at U.S. immigration policies in the wake of the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. Weijia Jiang has the latest.
Beckstrom’s body was moved from the hospital where she died to the D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Thursday night, the National Guard told CBS News.
Beckstrom received an honor escort, which is also known as a fallen soldier procession. Photos show U.S. service members lining the procession’s route.
U.S. service members line the streets of Washington, D.C., for U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom.
U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. William Blankenship
The procession symbolizes “the nation’s gratitude for a life given in service,” according to the Department of Defense.
Wounded guard member remains in critical condition
Pirro said that Wolfe remains in critical condition. She did not share any specifics.
“We still have hope,” she said on Fox News.
Wolfe underwent surgery after the shooting. Mr. Trump said on Thursday that he was “fighting for his life.” Pirro said that the government is supporting his family “during this difficult time.”
Suspect will be charged with murder
Lakanwal will be charged with murder in the first degree, Pirro said during a Fox & Friends appearance on Friday morning. She called Beckstrom’s killing a “premeditated murder.”
More charges may follow as the investigation unfolds, she said.
“This is a case that has touched the hearts of so many Americans because to be gunned down on the streets on the nation’s holiday is an outrage,” Pirro said. “The individual who did this will pay the ultimate price, according to the attorney general, Pam Bondi, as well he should.”
Pirro declined to discuss details of the investigation, but said that “there will be no stone left unturned.”
“We will know everything we need to know. It’s not time to share that. When the time comes, we will share it,” she said.
National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom remembered as “a hero”
In a statement confirming her death Thursday night, the commander of Joint Task Force District of Columbia hailed Army National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom as “a hero.”
“This is a devastating loss to our National Guard family,” Col. Larry Doane said in a statement. “Spc. Sarah Beckstrom came to the District from West Virginia to make our nation’s capital safe and beautiful. She is a hero and we mourn her passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with her loved ones and with the West Virginia National Guard.”
Beckstrom enlisted in the West Virginia National Guard in June 2023. She served as a military police soldier with the 863rd Military Police Company.
Second National Guard member shot in D.C. is “fighting for his life,” Trump says
One of two National Guard members who were shot in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday is “fighting for his life,” President Trump told reporters Thursday.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, is “in very bad shape,” Mr. Trump said. “Hopefully, we’ll get better news in respect to him.”
Earlier Thursday, U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro said Wolfe was in critical condition after undergoing surgery.
National Guard member Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe
The second victim, 20-year-old Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, died from her injuries, Mr. Trump said.
Law enforcement sources told CBS News the two were on patrol outside a downtown D.C. metro station when a gunman opened fire in what the sources described as a “clear ambush” and “calculated attack.”
One of 2 National Guard members shot in D.C. has died, Trump says
One of the National Guard members who was shot, 20-year-old Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, has died, President Trump said Thursday.
“Right now I heard that Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, one of the guardsmen that we’re talking about, highly respected, young, magnificent person, started service in June of 2023, outstanding in every way, she has just passed away,” Mr. Trump told reporters Thursday evening.
An undated photo of National Guard member Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom.
A White House official later said the president spoke with Beckstrom’s parents Thursday evening.
Suspect may have suffered from paranoia, mental health challenges, investigators believe
A running theory of investigators is that the suspect in the shooting of the two National Guard members suffered from paranoia and other mental health challenges that indicated he believed authorities sought to deport him from the U.S., multiple law enforcement sources told CBS News on Thursday.
By Nicole Sganga and Pat Milton
Multiple family members of the suspect have been interviewed, sources say
Multiple family members of the suspect in Washington state have been interviewed by investigators following a search of the suspect’s Bellingham home, multiple law enforcement sources told CBS News.
Federal law enforcement, led by the FBI, are scrutinizing and analyzing the suspect’s digital footprint, the sources said. No other suspects have been identified in connection with the shooting.
Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, one of the victims of Wednesday’s ambush-style attack in Washington, D.C., died Thursday night. A coast-to-coast investigation is now underway as officials look to learn more about the suspect, who has been identified as an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in 2021. Nicole Sganga has the latest.
President Trump said late Thursday night that he would suspend immigration from developing nations to the U.S.
In a post to Truth Social, Mr. Trump wrote that he “will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover.”
The declaration follows Wednesday’s shooting in downtown Washington, D.C., just blocks from the White House, in which a National Guard member was killed and a second Guard member critically wounded. The suspect detained in the shooting has been identified as a 29-year-old Afghan national who was admitted to the U.S. in September 2021, along with thousands of other Afghan refugees, a month after the U.S. withdrew its troops from Afghanistan.
Since the shooting, the Trump administration has taken an aggressive stance on U.S. immigration policies it says are to blame for allowing the suspect into the U.S., and has vowed to change them.
The president did not clarify when such a move might take effect or how the pause would be implemented. He also did not disclose which countries would fall under such a designation.
CBS News has reached out to the White House for clarification.
The president also wrote that he would “terminate” the status of millions of migrants admitted under former President Joe Biden’s administration and “remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States.”
He said he would end “Federal benefits and subsidies” for “noncitizens” and deport foreign nationals who are determined to be a “security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization.”
Earlier Thursday, the Trump administration said it would be conducting a “full-scale, rigorous reexamination” of all green cards for every immigrant from 19 countries “of concern.”
Those countries included Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia, Libya, Sudan, Yemen and Venezuela.
Also Thursday, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed to CBS News in a statement that the White House is now reviewing all asylum cases approved under the Biden administration.
The suspect in the shooting, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, immigrated to the U.S. from Afghanistan in September 2021, paroled on humanitarian grounds, a DHS official told CBS News. His asylum case was granted earlier this year, during Mr. Trump’s presidency, the DHS official said.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Thursday that the suspect lived with his family in Bellingham, Washington, and drove across the country to D.C. prior to the attack.
Mr. Trump said Thursday that the suspect, who was shot by a National Guard member following the ambush attack, is in serious condition. Authorities
The CIA also disclosed Thursday that Lakanwal previously worked with the U.S. government, including the CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar that ended in 2021 following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
One of the two West Virginia National Guard members who was wounded Wednesday in what authorities described as an ambush-style shooting in Washington, D.C., has died, President Trump said Thursday.
Mr. Trump told reporters Thursday evening that 20-year-old Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom died in the hospital.
“Right now I heard that Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, one of the guardsmen that we’re talking about, highly respected, young, magnificent person, started service in June of 2023, outstanding in every way, she has just passed away,” Mr. Trump said.
Earlier Thursday, U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro said the second victim, 24-year-old Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, was in critical condition after undergoing surgery.
Mr. Trump told reporters that Wolfe is “fighting for his life, he’s in very bad shape.”
“Hopefully, we’ll get better news in respect to him,” Mr. Trump added.
Photos of National Guard members Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe.
Mr. Trump also said the suspect in the shooting, previously identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was in serious condition.
Pirro said Thursday that both Guard members had been sworn into Guard duty less than 24 hours before the attack. The National Guard’s joint task force for the district later clarified that the two had been serving in the district since August, and they were deputized before the attack to maintain their status to conduct patrols.
Although they were deputized for deployment, the two Guard members were not operating as law enforcement and did not have arrest powers, multiple sources familiar with the investigation told CBS News Wednesday night.
President Trump told reporters Thursday night that Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom has died. Beckstrom was one of the National Guard troops shot in Wednesday’s Washington, D.C., ambush attack. Andrew Wolfe, the other victim, is still in critical condition. CBS News’ Nicole Sganga reports.
An image of an ID badge circulating widely online Thursday that purportedly shows the suspect in the shooting of the National Guard members says he was assigned to the “Kandahar Strike Force” or “03” unit, one of a number of so-called “Zero Units” that worked closely with U.S. and other foreign forces during the war in Afghanistan.
The badge also carries the words “Firebase Gecko,” which was the name of a base used by the CIA and special forces in Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan, inside what was previously the compound of the Taliban’s founding leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar.
CBS News has not independently verified the authenticity of the ID badge shown in the photos, but CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the suspect had previously worked “with the U.S. Government, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar.”
The “Zero Units” were exclusively composed of Afghan nationals and operated under the umbrella of the National Directorate of Security, or NDS, the intelligence agency established with CIA backing for Afghanistan’s previous, U.S.-backed government.
A former senior Afghan general under that previous government told CBS News on Thursday that “03 unit, also known as The Kandahar Strike Force (KSF), was under special forces directorate of NDS. They were the most active and professional forces, trained and equipped by the CIA. All their operations were conducted under the CIA command.”
The units were known in Afghanistan for their secrecy and alleged brutality, and members were implicated in numerous extrajudicial killings of civilians, particularly during night raids.
They were considered by the U.S. and its international partners to be among the most trusted domestic forces in Afghanistan.
There was no immediate reaction from Afghanistan’s current Taliban government, and officials in Kabul did not respond to CBS News’ requests for comment on the arrest in Washington.
As a member of a Zero Unit, the suspect would have been virtually guaranteed a route to asylum in the U.S. because members of these elite units were high on the list for Taliban retaliation after the group retook control of the country. Many members of these units played key roles in the August 2021 evacuation from Kabul, in return for a guarantee of space on a flight for themselves and their families out of Afghanistan.
Too soon to say what motive is, U.S. attorney says
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said it was too soon to say what the possible motive was for the shooting.
“It’s too soon to say what the motive is, but there are definitely areas that we’re looking into, but not ready to say,” Pirro said.
Suspect drove across country from Washington state, U.S. attorney says
The suspect had been living in Bellingham, Washington, and drove across the country to Washington, D.C., before the attack, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said during a news conference Thursday.
Suspect shot Guard member then took her weapon and continued shooting, sources say
The two National Guard members who were wounded were posted outside a metro station when the gunman opened fire without warning in what law enforcement sources described as a “clear ambush” and “calculated attack.”
The first victim — a female Guard member — was struck immediately and collapsed where she stood, the sources said. She sustained at least two gunshot wounds during the ambush.
The suspect, who was wielding a handgun, had four rounds in his firearm initially, sources said. After he fired them, he then took the fallen Guardswoman’s weapon and used it to continue shooting, striking the second Guard member, the sources said.
A third Guardsman stabbed the suspect with a pocketknife, while a fourth returned fire and shot the suspect multiple times, ending the attack.
The wounded Guard members were deputized for the deployment but were not operating as law enforcement and did not have arrest powers, the sources said. They were stationed outside the metro stop as part of a high-visibility foot patrol that consisted of presence-based security, not active policing, the sources explained.
ByNicole Sganga and Jennifer Jacobs
Suspect in shooting not cooperating with authorities, sources say
The suspect detained in the shooting of two National Guard members is not cooperating with authorities at this time, law enforcement sources told CBS News Wednesday night.
Multiple law enforcement officials previously identified him as 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who entered the U.S. in 2021.
CIA confirms shooting suspect worked with the agency as part of a partner force
A CIA spokesperson told CBS News on Thursday that the Afghan suspect in the shooting “previously worked with the U.S. government, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar that ended in 2021” following the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
In a separate statement, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said “the Biden Administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States in September 2021 due to his prior work with the U.S. Government, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, which ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation. This individual — and so many others — should have never been allowed to come here. Our citizens and servicemembers deserve far better than to endure the ongoing fallout from the Biden Administration’s catastrophic failures. God Bless our brave troops.”
Suspect led Afghan special forces unit that worked with U.S. troops, former colleague says
CBS News has learned that the Afghan suspect in the shooting led a team in the former Afghan national armed forces that worked directly with U.S. and British forces during the two-decade war in the country.
According to a former Afghan commando who spoke with CBS News on Thursday, Rahmanullah Lakanwal led a unit of Afghan special forces in the south of the country and worked closely with the international troops.
The former commando told CBS News that Lakanawal was left deeply troubled by the death of a close friend and fellow Afghan commander in 2024, whom he said had unsuccessfully sought asylum in the U.S.
Suspect detained in D.C. shooting was granted asylum earlier this year, official says
A Department of Homeland Security official told CBS News the suspect detained in the D.C. shooting of two National Guard members was paroled into the U.S. on humanitarian grounds in 2021. Federal authorities have identified him as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national.
That was the main legal mechanism the Biden administration used to welcome tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees after the Taliban takeover in August 2021. Lakanwal was admitted to the U.S. in September of that year.
Lakanwal later applied for asylum with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in 2024 and his application was granted in 2025, the official said. But his request for a green card, which is tied to the asylum grant, is pending.
As such, he is technically an asylee as of now and is not in the U.S. illegally.
U.S. pauses processing of all immigration applications for Afghan nationals following shooting
The Trump administration has paused the processing of all immigration applications for Afghan nationals following Wednesday’s shooting of two National Guard members, officials said, after the suspect detained in the shooting was identified as an Afghan national.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced Wednesday night that it’s enacting an indefinite pause on the processing of all immigration applications filed by Afghan nationals.
“Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols,” the USCIS statement obtained by CBS News reads. “The protections and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission.”
The Department of Homeland Security has identified the shooting suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who DHS says was admitted to the United States in September 2021, a month after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“We must now reexamine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden,” President Trump said in an address Wednesday night.
The Trump administration plans to deploy another 500 members of the National Guard to the streets of Washington, D.C., Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday, hours after two service members were shot a few blocks away from the White House.
President Trump ordered the additional deployment, Hegseth told reporters in the Dominican Republic, where he was traveling Wednesday. In remarks Wednesday night addressing the shooting, Mr. Trump confirmed that he directed the department to mobilize an additional 500 troops to D.C. A U.S. official had told CBS News that the Army has received the request and will work to fulfill it quickly.
The 500 additional service members will join roughly 2,200 troops who were deployed in D.C. as of Sunday morning. That includes around 900 members of the D.C. National Guard and more than 1,200 members of several states’ Guard forces, according to a press release from the military’s Joint Task Force – District of Columbia.
It’s not clear when the 500 additional troops will arrive in the nation’s capital, or whether they will come from the D.C. National Guard or from a state’s National Guard force.
Hegseth made the announcement after two members of the West Virginia National Guard were shot in an attack in the capital. At a briefing, FBI Director Kash Patel said the two Guard members are in critical condition. Local police say a suspect is in custody and is being treated at a hospital.
“This will only stiffen our resolve to ensure that we make Washington, D.C., safe and beautiful,” Hegseth told reporters on Wednesday.
National Guard forces were initially deployed to the streets of D.C. in August, part of an anti-crime mission by the Trump administration that has also included federal law enforcement officers and local police.
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb has sued over the deployment, calling it illegal. A federal judge ruled last week that the deployment likely violates federal law, but delayed the ruling for 21 days as the Trump administration appeals.
Two National Guard troops were shot blocks away from the White House on Wednesday. FBI Director Kash Patel said the two are in critical condition and police say the scene is secure with a suspect in custody. Law enforcement officials described it as an ambush-style attack. CBS News’ Anna Schecter and Nancy Cordes report. Kirk Burkhalter, a former NYPD detective, joins “The Daily Report” with analysis.
2 National Guard members were killed in shooting, West Virginia governor says
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey says both troops have died from their injuries. He said they had been part of the West Virginia National Guard.
“These brave West Virginians lost their lives in the service of their country. We are in ongoing contact with federal officials as the investigation continues,” Morrisey said on social media.
“Our entire state grieves with their families, their loved ones, and the Guard community,” he added. “West Virginia will never forget their service or their sacrifice, and we will demand full accountability for this horrific act.”
Troops shot in ambush-style attack, officials say
The National Guard members were shot in an ambush-style attack, two federal law enforcement officials told CBS News.
The attack became a shoot-out, the officials said, and the suspect was also shot.
Shooting appears to have begun near metro station, officials say
The shooting appears to have begun near the Farragut Metro station, senior law enforcement officials told CBS News.
There is no known connection to the White House at this time, the officials said, though the incident occurred just blocks from the North Lawn.
10 to 15 shots fired, law enforcement official says
A senior law enforcement official told CBS News that roughly 10 to 15 shots were fired.
One victim was transported to the hospital by helicopter, while the suspect was transported by ambulance, the senior law enforcement official said.
Trump says both troops were “critically wounded”
President Trump said on Truth Social that both National Guard members were “critically wounded” in the shooting. They are in separate hospitals, he said.
Mr. Trump also said the suspect was “severely wounded.”
“God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement,” Mr. Trump wrote. “These are truly Great People. I, as President of the United States, and everyone associated with the Office of the Presidency, am with you!”
D.C. National Guard says health and safety of troops is “top priority”
The D.C. National Guard told CBS News it is working closely with the MPD and other law enforcement agencies following the incident.
“The health and safety of our service members is our top priority as we continue to support the citizens and visitors of Washington, D.C.,” the Guard said in a statement.
National Guard troops have been in D.C. since summer
Thousands of National Guard troops were first ordered to Washington, D.C., in August. President Trump deployed forces to the city as part of a broader crackdown on crime. The deployment, which has been subject to legal challenges, has been extended multiple times and is currently set to run through February 2026.
National Guard forces have been dispatched to multiple U.S. cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, during Mr. Trump’s second term.
Suspect transported to area hospital
A suspect who allegedly opened fire on the National Guardsmen has been injured and transported to an area hospital, senior law enforcement officials told CBS News. The suspect’s condition is unknown at this time.
The Metropolitan Police Department said the crime scene was secured and that a suspect was in custody.
President Trump briefed on the shooting
President Trump has been briefed on the shooting, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. The president is at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, for the Thanksgiving holiday.
“The White House is aware and actively monitoring this tragic situation,” Leavitt said in a statement.
2 National Guard members shot, Noem says
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said two members of the National Guard were shot. She did not share any details on their conditions.
“Please join me in praying for the two National Guardsmen who were just shot moments ago in Washington D.C.,” Noem said in a statement.
“DHS is working with local law enforcement to gather more information.”
A federal judge ruled Thursday that President Trump’s months-long deployment of thousands of National Guard forces to the streets of Washington, D.C., violates federal law.
U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb sided with D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, who sued the federal government over the Guard deployment, arguing it exceeded the president’s legal authority. But the judge stayed her ruling for 21 days to give the Trump administration a chance to appeal it.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson blasted the ruling, arguing that Mr. Trump has the authority to deploy Guard troops in the nation’s capital. Jackson called Schwalb’s lawsuit “nothing more than another attempt — at the detriment of DC residents — to undermine the President’s highly successful operations to stop violent crime in DC.”
In his own statement following the ruling, Schwalb said, “Normalizing the use of military troops for domestic law enforcement sets a dangerous precedent, where the President can disregard states’ independence and deploy troops wherever and whenever he wants – with no check on his military power. This unprecedented federal overreach is not normal, or legal. It is long past time to let the National Guard go home – to their everyday lives, their regular jobs, their families, and their children.”
Hundreds of National Guard troops that were dispatched to Portland, Oregon, and Chicago, Illinois, from California and Texas in response to protests over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown will return to their home states, a Defense Department official confirmed to CBS News Saturday.
Last month, about 200 federalized California National Guard soldiers were sent to Portland, while another 200 federalized Texas National Guard soldiers were sent to Chicago. All those soldiers will return, the official said.
In both cases, the White House had argued that the troops were being sent to “protect federal assets and personnel,” with the president invoking Title 10 of the federal code, which allows for its use if the president deems that “there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the government of the United States.”
Federal judges, however — in response to lawsuits brought by city and state officials — had so far blocked federalized National Guard soldiers from actually being deployed on the streets of Portland and Chicago, keeping them in a kind of holding pattern while they awaited the legal wrangling of their cases to play out.
The defense official also told CBS News that the number of federalized Oregon National Guard members will be reduced from 200 to 100. The approximately 300 Illinois National Guard members that were previously federalized as part of the operation will remain under federal control, the official added.
Federal law enforcement officers clear protesters from a driveway outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility as protests against the Trump administration continue in Portland, Oregon, on Oct. 6, 2025.
Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
This comes after U.S. Northern Command issued a statement Friday which said that the Department of War, the Trump administration’s preferred name for the Defense Department, would “be shifting and/or rightsizing our Title 10 footprint in Portland, Los Angeles, and Chicago to ensure a constant, enduring, and long-term presence in each city.”
Portland and Chicago have seen months-long demonstrations at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities. Mr. Trump’s controversial decision to attempt to deploy federal troops in response has prompted heavy pushback from local and state officials, who criticize the moves as an unnecessary escalation.
Citing either crime or a need to protect federal property and personnel from protesters, Mr. Trump also deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Memphis.
The ruling last week from U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, followed a three-day trial in which both sides argued over whether protests at the city’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building met the conditions for using the military domestically under federal law. The city and state filed the lawsuit in September to block the deployment.
People gather outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Oregon, on Oct. 22, 2025, to protest against President Trump’s recent aggressive immigration enforcement actions.
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In a 106-page opinion, Immergut found that even though the president is entitled to “great deference” in his decision on whether to call up the Guard, he did not have a legal basis for doing so because he did not establish that there was a rebellion or danger of rebellion, or that he was unable to enforce the law with regular forces.
The administration criticized the decision and said the troops were needed to protect federal personnel and property in a city that Trump has described as “war ravaged.”
“The district court’s ruling made it clear that this administration must be accountable to the truth and to the rule of law,” Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said in an emailed statement Friday in response to the administration’s appeal. “We will keep defending Oregon values and standing up for our state’s authority to make decisions grounded in evidence and common sense.”
Immergut issued two temporary restraining orders in early October that had blocked the deployment of the troops leading up to the trial. The first order blocked Trump from deploying 200 members of the Oregon National Guard; the second, issued a day later, blocked him from deploying members of any state’s National Guard to Oregon, after he tried to evade the first order by sending California troops instead.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has already ordered that troops not be deployed pending further action by the appeals court.
Democratic cities targeted by Trump for military involvement — including Chicago, which filed a separate lawsuit on the issue that is now before the U.S. Supreme Court — have been pushing back. They argue the president has not satisfied the legal threshold for deploying troops and that doing so would violate states’ sovereignty.
A federal judge on Friday issued a ruling “permanently” blocking the Trump administration from deploying National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon.
In late September, President Trump announced he would be deploying federal troops to Portland in response to downtown protests outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility over the administration’s immigration crackdown. The Trump administration later placed 200 Oregon National Guard troops under federal control, and attempted to deploy another 200 federalized California National Guard troops in Portland as well.
Mr. Trump invoked Title 10 of the federal code in his deployment efforts, which allows for its use if the president deems that “there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the government of the United States.”
The moves prompted a lawsuit from city and state officials in Portland, Oregon and California.
In her 106-page ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut wrote that “this Court arrives at the necessary conclusion that there was neither ‘a rebellion or danger of a rebellion’ nor was the President ‘unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States’ in Oregon when he ordered the federalization and deployment of the National Guard.”
The ruling, however, will allow the National Guard troops to remain under federal control for a period of at least 14 days.
“President Trump is using his lawful authority to direct the National Guard to protect federal assets and personnel in Portland following months of violent riots where officers have been assaulted and doxxed by left-wing rioters,” Assistant Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement Friday night in response to the ruling. “The President’s lawful actions will make Portland safer.”
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said Friday night in a statement: “The facts haven’t changed. Amidst ongoing violent riots and lawlessness, that local leaders have refused to step in to quell, President Trump has exercised his lawful authority to protect federal officers and assets. President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities and we expect to be vindicated by a higher court.”
In her own statement, Democratic Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said, “This ruling, now the fourth of its kind, validates the facts on the ground. Oregon does not want or need military intervention, and President Trump’s attempts to federalize the guard is a gross abuse of power. Oregon National Guard members have been away from their jobs and families for 38 days. The California National Guard has been here for just over one month. Based on this ruling, I am renewing my call to the Trump Administration to send all troops home now.”
People gather outside the Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility to protest against President Trump’s recent aggressive immigration enforcement actions and plans to deploy National Guard troops in the city in Portland, Oregon, on Oct. 22, 2025. Some small groups expressed support for ICE and Trump.
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Under Title 10, the “president may call into federal service members and units of the National Guard of any State in such numbers as he considers necessary to repel the invasion, suppress the rebellion, or execute those laws,” in the event that “the United States, or any of the commonwealths or possessions, is invaded or is in danger of invasion by a foreign nation; there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the government of the United States; or the president is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.”
The latest decision comes after Immergut, an appointee of Mr. Trump, issued a 16-page ruling Sunday temporarily barring the Trump administration from deploying the National Guard in Portland following a three-day trial in which she “found no credible evidence” that protests in the city grew out of control.
Immergut had said she would issue a final order on Friday due to the voluminous evidence presented at trial, including more than 750 exhibits.
“After a three-day trial that included the testimony of federal, state, and local law enforcement officials and hundreds of exhibits describing protest activity outside the Portland ICE building, the evidence demonstrates that these deployments, which were objected to by Oregon’s governor and not requested by the federal officials in charge of protection of the ICE building, exceeded the President’s authority,” Immergut wrote Friday.
The Trump administration on Monday appealed the ruling to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Immergut issued two orders in early October that blocked the deployment of the troops leading up to the trial. She previously found that Mr. Trump had failed to show that he met the legal requirements for mobilizing the National Guard. She described his assessment of Portland, which Mr. Trump has called “war-ravaged” with “fires all over the place,” as “simply untethered to the facts.”
One of Immergut’s orders was paused Oct. 20 by the 9th Circuit court. But late Tuesday, the appeals court vacated that decision and said it would rehear the matter before an 11-judge panel. Until the larger panel rehears the case, the appeals court’s initial order from early October — under which the National Guard is federalized but not deployed — remains in effect.
During the Portland trial, witnesses including local police and federal officials were questioned about the law enforcement response to the nightly protests at the city’s ICE building. The demonstrations peaked in June, when Portland police declared one a riot. The demonstrations typically drew a couple dozen people in the weeks leading up to Mr. Trump’s National Guard announcement.
