The man arrested for ambushing and shooting two National Guard members the day before Thanksgiving will now face a first-degree murder charge, Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said Friday.
Ms. Pirro announced the upgrade in charges following the announcement Thursday that one of the victims, 20-year-old Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, succumbed to her injuries in a D.C. area hospital.
Suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, is also facing three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.
Spc. Beckstrom’s father, Gary Beckstrom, wrote on Facebook following his daughter’s death, “My baby girl has passed to glory. If I don’t talk to you don’t be offend[ed] this has been a horrible tragedy.”
Ms. Pirro said Friday on “Fox & Friends” there are “many more charges to come” for Mr. Lakanwal, among them murder in the first degree.
Spc. Beckstrom volunteered to go on duty over the holiday, Ms. Pirro said, “and she ended up being shot ambush style on the cold streets of Washington, D.C.”
SEE ALSO: One of the two National Guard troops shot in D.C. attack dies
Mr. Lakanwal, an Afghan who lived in Bellingham, Washington, was arrested after the ambush on Wednesday as the guardsmen stood near Farragut Square Park, two blocks from the White House.
He’s charged with shooting Spc. Beckstrom and Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe.
Sgt. Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition.
He and Spc. Beckstrom were members of the West Virginia National Guard deployed to the District at the request of President Trump to help make the city safer.
Spc. Beckstrom, of Webster Springs, West Virginia, was assigned to the National Guard’s 863rd Military Police Company, 111th Engineer Brigade, and had been deployed to the District since August.
The shooting suspect arrived in the U.S. on Sept. 8, 2021, as part of the evacuation flights that then-President Biden hastily arranged to try to get Afghans who helped America’s war effort out of danger as the Taliban retook control of the country.
Mr. Trump said the man later had his status extended under “legislation signed by President Biden” — though it’s unclear what that legislation was.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the suspect had since been approved for asylum but declined to say more.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.