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President Donald Trump announced Thursday that one of the two West Virginia National Guard members shot in an ambush near the White House has died, calling the young soldier “a highly respected, young, magnificent person.”
President Trump said 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom died with her family at her side, one day after she was shot on Wednesday. Authorities have identified the suspected gunman as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who previously worked with the CIA.
“She’s no longer with us. She’s looking down at us right now. Her parents are with her. It’s just happened. She was savagely attacked. She’s dead now,” President Trump said during a Thanksgiving greeting to service members from his Mar-a-Lago home
Beckstrom’s father, Gary Beckstrom, told The New York Times earlier Thursday that the family had gathered at her bedside.
“I’m holding her hand right now,” he said when reached by phone. “She has a mortal wound. It’s not going to be a recovery.”
A second Guardsman, Andrew Wolfe, remains in critical condition, officials said.
The two soldiers were shot around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday near the White House, according to authorities. No motive for the attack has been publicly released.
Lakanwal remains in custody as federal investigators continue to examine his background and possible intent.
“The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen, with both being critically wounded, and now in two separate hospitals, is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price. God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement. These are truly Great People. I, as President of the United States, and everyone associated with the Office of the Presidency, am with you!” the president wrote in a Truth Social post on Wednesday following the shooting.
The president also wrote on Thursday night that, “This is part of the horrendous airlift from Afghanistan. Hundreds of thousands of people poured into our Country totally unvetted and unchecked. We will fix it, but will never forget what Crooked Joe Biden and his Thugs did to our Country!”
