National Guard shooting suspect charged with murder
Prosecutors have formally filed murder charges against the suspected shooter accused of killing a National Guard soldier and wounding another in Washington, D.C., last Wednesday.
According to the criminal complaint, Rahmanullah Lakanwal shouted “Allahu Akbar” as he fired, and a Guard shot him as he reloaded the gun.
According to BBC’s US partner CBS, Lakanwal, who came to the USA from Afghanistan in 2021, did not admit his crime while appearing in virtual court from his hospital bed. The charges against him include first-degree murder and assault with intent to kill.
The Trump administration paused all asylum decisions and ordered screening of Afghan refugees in the United States following the attack.
National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died due to her injuries, while another police officer, Andrew Wolfe (24), was seriously injured and remained in the hospital. Both were stationed in the US capital from West Virginia.
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey on Monday described Wolfe’s condition as “positive” and said he was responding to a nurse’s warnings. Morrisey also asked for prayers “as Andrew fights to survive.”
A judge said the case against Lakanwal was “extremely strong” and ordered him held without bail, according to CBS.
Lakanwal worked with the CIA in Afghanistan and fled to the United States after the Taliban overthrew the civilian government in 2021. U.S. officials feared that people like Lankanwal would be targeted by the Taliban because of their connections to U.S. forces.
Officials told CBS that 2024’s asylum request was granted earlier this year and that he lives in Bellingham, Washington state, with his wife and five children.
Last year, Lakanwal was withdrawn from society and isolated in a room for weeks, according to emails from a social worker who said she thought he had a mental health problem.
“I believe your father has mental health issues that are not being addressed and he is not talking to anyone,” reads part of the email obtained by CBS.
The charging complaint, which includes photos from security camera footage, reveals what prosecutors say occurred near an underground train station last Wednesday while Beckstrom and Wolfe were on patrol with other National Guard troops.
After shooting them, Lakanwal allegedly engaged in a gunfight with another nearby Guard member, who returned fire and injured him.
