Two national guard members in critical condition after being shot in Washington DC | Washington DC
Two West Virginia National Guard members who were shot near the White House in Washington on Wednesday are in critical condition.
The incident occurred near the Farragut West subway station and occurred during the controversial troop deployment to the US capital ordered by the Trump administration. FBI director Kash Patel, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser and other officials confirmed at a news conference that both guards were in critical condition in hospitals.
“What we know is that this was a targeted attack,” Bowser said. “It turned out that someone was targeting these guards.”
Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) posted on social media shortly before 3 p.m. local time that a suspect was in custody and later confirmed that the suspect was also shot during the interaction and transported to the hospital.
Patel said the incident would be treated as “an assault on an officer” and that the FBI would work with the Department of Homeland Security, the Secret Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the mayor and local police because “this is a matter of national security.”
The press conference came after West Virginia governor Patrick Morrisey said both soldiers died in the attack, but later issued an update explaining that more information was needed.
A task force of an estimated 2,375 National Guard troops is currently active in Washington; West Virginia has the second-largest force with 416 troops, trailing only D.C.’s national guard with 949 troops.
US defense secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that Trump wants 500 additional troops to be sent to Washington. “This happened just steps away from the White House, and that’s not going to continue, and that’s why President Trump has asked me — and I’ve asked the secretary of the Army’s National Guard — to add 500 additional troops of the National Guard to Washington, D.C.,” Hegseth said.
Some national guard units in Washington are armed with service pistols and others with rifles, a defense official told the Guardian in August.
Embers, in a post A statement on Truth Social early Wednesday said both national guardsmen were “critically injured” and the shooter was also “severely injured” and will “pay a very high price.”
Emergency vehicles were seen responding to the area. Previously, MPD said a “critical incident” had occurred. “MPD is at the scene of a shooting at 17th and I Street, Northwest. Please avoid the area. Updates to come,” the post read.
Witnesses reported seeing large numbers of National Guard soldiers running through the square. Office buildings in the square were placed on lockdown and workers were told to leave through the back door if they wanted to leave the building. The Guardian’s Washington office in Farragut Square Park was under lock and key. Law enforcement also instructed staff in the buildings to stay away from the glass doors adjacent to the plaza.
The White House was also locked down.
National Guard troops have been deployed across Washington since August, when the Trump administration declared a “crime emergency” in the city and ordered them to support federal and local law enforcement.
Other states sending their national guards to Washington include South Carolina, Ohio, Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. Associated Press in October They plan to finish their deployment by November 30.
The distribution has been extended many times and reportedly It was decided to continue until February 2026. A federal judge has since ruled distribution illegalbut by suspending the decision for 21 days, the Guard will remain in place until the administration decides whether to appeal.
