US National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom dies after shooting in Washington DC PHOTO

U.S. President Donald Trump said that Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, one of the two West Virginia National Guard members injured in what authorities described as a “targeted shooting” near the White House on November 26, has died.

Speaking during a Thanksgiving call with service members, Trump described the 22-year-old from West Virginia as an exemplary soldier, Caliber.Az reports per U.S. media.

“Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, one of the guardsmen that we’re talking about, a highly respected, young, magnificent person, started service in June of 2023, outstanding in every way. She’s just passed away,” the president said.

“She’s no longer with us. She’s looking down at us right now,” he added.

Trump said the news had come through moments before he spoke. “This just happened,” he continued. “She was savagely attacked; she’s dead now.”

Beckstrom and another National Guard member, Andrew Wolfe, were shot while on duty in the capital on November 26. Wolfe remains in critical condition.

Pictures of National Guard members Andrew Wolfe and Sarah Beckstrom

“As you know, the other young man is fighting for his life. He’s in very bad shape. He’s fighting for his life. And hopefully we’ll get better news with respect to him,” Trump said.

West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey confirmed the loss in a message on X, writing: “This is not the result we hoped for, but it is the result we all feared.”

He added: “Today, we honour her bravery and her sacrifice as we mourn the loss of a young woman who gave everything she had in defence of others. We will forever hold her family, her friends, and her fellow Guardsmen in our prayers as they grieve what no family should ever have to bear.”

More than 2,000 troops have been stationed in the nation’s capital since August, when the president ordered deployments to cities amid what he described as “out of control” crime. The West Virginia National Guard told BBC News that Ms Beckstrom and Mr Wolfe were among those sent to Washington at that time.

National Guard personnel serve as reservists who can be called up for military duty, though their authority is limited as they cannot enforce laws or make arrests.

Because the shooting occurred only a few blocks from the White House, law enforcement arrived within moments, providing aid to the two Guardsmen and detaining the attacker. 

The suspected gunman, named by law enforcement as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, was apprehended shortly after the incident. He was wounded in the exchange of gunfire

By Aghakazim Guliyev