New charges against DC National Guard shooting suspect open death penalty door

The Afghan nationalist accused successful the shooting of 2 National Guard members successful Washington, D.C., was deed with caller national charges that unfastened the doorway for the decease penalty. 

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia announced that Rahmanullah Lakanwal was charged with transporting a firearm successful interstate commerce with the intent to perpetrate an discourtesy punishable by imprisonment for much than 1 twelvemonth and with transporting a stolen firearm successful interstate commerce. Sarah Beckstrom was killed successful the Nov. 26 attack, portion Andrew Wolfe was near earnestly injured. 

"The transportation of this lawsuit from Superior Court to District Court ensures that we tin undertake the serious, deliberate and weighty investigation required to find if the decease punishment is due here," U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said successful a statement. 

"Sarah Beckstrom was conscionable 20 years aged erstwhile she was killed, and her parents are present forced to endure the vacation play without their daughter," she added. "Andrew Wolfe, by the grace of God, survived but has a agelong roadworthy up successful his recovery."

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The .357 Smith & Wesson revolver that fishy Rahmanullah Lakanwal allegedly utilized successful the shooting of 2 National Guard members successful Washington, D.C., Nov. 26, 2025, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. (Nathan Howard/Reuters/U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia)

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Lakanwal besides "remains charged with first-degree execution portion armed, battle with intent to termination portion equipped and 2 counts of possession of a firearm during a transgression of violence, successful usurpation of the D.C. Code." 

In an affidavit released this week, an FBI peculiar cause wrote that the limb Lakanwal allegedly utilized successful the shooting was a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver that was stolen from a location successful in Seattle successful May 2023. 

The cause said the idiosyncratic who provided the limb to Lakanwal connected Nov. 14 astatine his location successful Bellingham told investigators "that helium gave the firearm to Lakanwal due to the fact that helium believed Lakanwal wanted it for idiosyncratic extortion portion moving arsenic a rideshare driver." 

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National Guard members Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, were changeable successful Washington, D.C., successful precocious November.  (United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia/Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The time aft obtaining the revolver, Lakanwal purchased a container of further .357 caliber ammunition from a sporting goods store successful Bellingham, the affidavit continued.

"Additionally, ineligible process reveals that connected November 15, 2025, astir 2 hours aft helium purchased the ammunition, Lakanwal searched ‘Washington, D.C.’ successful Google Maps," the FBI peculiar cause besides wrote successful the affidavit. "The adjacent day, Lakanwal searched ‘The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500’ successful Google Maps. Of note, the shooting committed by Lakanwal on November 26, 2025, occurred successful Washington, D.C., astir 2 blocks from the White House." 

This representation captures the dignified transportation of U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, a subordinate of the West Virginia National Guard, astatine the Dodd and Reed Funeral Home successful her hometown of Webster Springs, W. Va., Dec. 9, 2025. (U.S. Army National Guard photograph by Edwin L. Wriston)

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Attorney General Pam Bondi antecedently has said the Department of Justice intends to question the decease punishment against Lakanwal.