Two National Guard members were shot Wednesday afternoon in what officials called an ambush near the White House. The victims are in critical condition, FBI Director Kash Patel said.
The suspect has been identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, four senior U.S. law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation told NBC News. The suspect was also identified as an Afghan national from Bellingham, Washington, two senior U.S. law enforcement officials told NBC News.
It is unclear how long he has been in the District.
He used a handgun and the shooting is being investigated as a possible act of terrorism, the two senior U.S. law enforcement officials said.
A man turned a corner and fired at the guard members, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Executive Assistant Chief of Specialized Operations Jeffery Carroll said.
“This is a targeted shooting,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said.
The victims were shot just before 2:30 p.m., right next to Farragut Square Park and two blocks north of the White House.
The scene at 17th and I streets NW has been secured and the suspect is in custody, MPD said on social media just before 3 p.m. Police believe there was only one suspect in the shooting.
National Guard members from West Virginia, governor says
The two National Guard members who were shot are both from West Virginia, the state’s governor, Patrick Morrisey, said.
In a statement, Morrisey initially said the victims had died, but in an update minutes later, he said there were conflicting reports.
“It is with great sorrow that we can confirm both members of the West Virginia National Guard who were shot earlier today in Washington, DC have passed away from their injuries,” Morrisey said in a statement posted to social media about 3:42 p.m. “These brave West Virginians lost their lives in the service of their country. We are in ongoing contact with federal officials as the investigation continues.”
However, Morrisey posted again at 4:04 p.m., less than 25 minutes later: “We are now receiving conflicting reports about the condition of our two Guard members and will provide additional updates once we receive more complete information. Our prayers are with these brave service members, their families, and the entire Guard community.”
Morrisey did not immediately say what agency or individuals were providing him information on the National Guard members’ conditions.
Back in August, President Donald Trump issued an executive order declaring a crime emergency in Washington, D.C. Within a month, more than 2,300 National Guard troops from eight states and D.C. were patrolling the city under the command of the Secretary of the Army. West Virginia committed hundreds of troops in mid-August.
There were 180 members of the West Virginia National Guard on duty in D.C. as of Monday, the Joint Task Force said.
What happened?
The two National Guard members were shot in an exchange of gunfire with the suspect, a law enforcement source tells News4. No information was immediately shared about who opened fire or why.
Carroll said the crime appeared to involve a lone gunman.
The suspect came around a corner and immediately started firing at the National Guard members, authorities said.
Other guard members in the area heard the gunfire and were able to intervene and hold the suspect after he had been shot within moments. Authorities are investigating who shot the suspect.
Officials didn’t provide any information on a possible motive. There was no information immediately available on the suspect’s name. D.C. police believe they know who he is, but still were working to confirm his identity.
No one else was injured in the shooting.
One of the injured National Guard members was taken to a hospital via med-evac helicopter. The other guard member and the suspect were taken to a hospital by ambulance.
Two women who were in Franklin Square at the time said they didn’t hear gunshots, but knew something unusual had happened when they saw National Guard members running.
“We saw the National Guard specifically running toward this way and that’s why we were kind of shocked because I’ve never seen National Guards running unless it’s something serious,” said D.C. resident Nyla McGee.
“Especially, we saw undercover cars coming in and a helicopter at one point. That’s how I knew it was getting serious,” she said.
Another witness told reporters that she saw people in the area running while she was in her car.
“So then I look on the street. It’s so many people running opposite direction and it was little, little children, too, and they looked like school-aged children, maybe even as young as five,” the woman said. “So the individual who’s in charge of them, I just heard him say, ‘Go, go!’ and the kids … they’re on both sides of the street. And the kids are running. So then I heard, ‘Help, help!’ Someone yelled out ‘Help!’ twice. I didn’t know if it was the individual that was shot or was it someone yelling for help.”
Reactions and responses
“Today’s attack on two members of the West Virginia National Guard was horrific and unconscionable,” Bowser said in a statement. “We can confirm that a suspect is in custody for this targeted shooting and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Our prayers are with the victims and their loved ones.”
Neither Trump nor Vice President JD Vance were at the White House at the time of the shooting. Trump is at his home in Mar-a-Lago, while Vance is at Ft. Campbell, an army base on the Tennessee-Kentucky border.
Trump described the two Guard members as “critically wounded” in a social media post.
“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!” he said in a Truth Social post.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described plans to deploy additional National Guard members to D.C.
“This will only stiffen our resolve,” he said.
Ward 2 D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto, whose jurisdiction includes Farragut Square Park, shared a statement to social media shortly after the shooting, which said: “Today’s shooting near the White House is devastating and unacceptable,” Pinto said. “As the Councilmember representing this area and the Chair of the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, I am deeply disturbed and saddened that there was a shooting injuring two National Guard troops.”
“These are public servants and they should not be harmed while doing their jobs,” the statement continued. “We must be more proactive as a country to get firearms off our streets. I am actively working to get to the bottom of what happened.”
Effects of the shooting
The area near Farragut Square Park is shut down while law enforcement investigates.
Several law enforcement vehicles were at the scene moments after the shooting took place. News4 saw an ambulance and a Park Police vehicle, and NBC News cameras saw several MPD cars parked near Farragut Square Park.
Metro Transit Police said in a social media post that they are also assisting in the investigation, since the shooting happened close to the Farragut West station.
The east side entrance to the Farragut West station is closed during the investigation, Metro said. The west side (18th Street) entrance remains open.
The FBI is also assisting with the investigation, Patel said in a social media post.
The FAA put a brief ground stop in place at Ronald Regan Washington National Airport (DCA) at 3:20 p.m. for safety as helicopters flew over D.C. No planes took off from the airport amid heavy Thanksgiving travel until the ground stop ended at 4 p.m.
DCA shared a statement shortly after the ground stop was lifted.
“Passengers should check with their airline for schedule updates,” the airport said. “There may be delays related to a law enforcement incident in downtown Washington, D.C., earlier today. Flights have resumed, and the airport is open and operating normally.”
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