(NewsNation) — A National Guard member who was shot in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday has since died from her injuries.
Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was a specialist with the West Virginia National Guard, serving since 2023. She had been in the nation’s capital since August, as part of President Donald Trump’s deployment of troops to address crime.
In a Thanksgiving night vigil in West Virginia, dozens paid their respects to Beckstrom, a native of Summersville.
“An American hero, at home with the LORD,” Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on social media Thursday. “RIP, Specialist Sarah Beckstrom. May our nation kneel in prayer for her family.”
Trump called Beckstrom “outstanding.”
An Afghan national is accused of shooting Beckstrom and 24-year-old Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe in what authorities called an “ambush-style attack.”
Wolfe, also from West Virginia, entered service in February 2019 and had been in D.C. since August. As of Thursday night, he was “fighting for his life,” according to the president.
Officials said the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, arrived in the United States from Afghanistan in 2021 and has been living in Washington state with his wife and children.
He entered the country under Operation Allies Welcome during the Biden administration and later applied for asylum, which was granted by the Trump administration.
NewsNation learned that while in Afghanistan, Lakanwal worked with the U.S. government, including the CIA.
Investigators said Lakanwal has no prior criminal record in the U.S. and that it was too soon to know a motive.