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U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro Announces Charges for National Guard Shooter

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  November 27, 2025 9:35 AM

It’s official: Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, the Afghan national who overstayed his visa and shot members of the National Guard in Washington, DC. November 26, has been formally charged by U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro. The two members of the Guard, Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, remain in critical condition.

Ms. Pirro announced that Lakanwal will be charged with three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. 

He faces 15 years with assault with intent to kill, said Pirro. The charges, however, could be upgraded depending on the state of the two National Guard members.

“Make no mistake. If they do not [survive], that will certainly be the charge: murder in the first degree,” she added. Ms. Pirro said that the shooter drove from Washington State to commit this assault (via WaPo):

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said the suspect in Wednesday’s National Guard shooting, Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, had driven from Washington state to commit the attack. In a news conference Thursday morning, she said the 29-year-old was charged with firearm possession and three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed. She identified the two soldiers who were shot in the attack as Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24. Both were in critical condition after undergoing surgery, she said.

More background on what happened on Wednesday (via NYT): 

The shooting took place around 2:15 p.m. near the entrance to the Farragut West metro station, a few blocks from the White House. 

The sound of gunfire terrified some bystanders. Stacey Walters, a nurse, said she was riding in an Uber when she heard the gunfire. 

“I wanted to cry,” she said. “I’ve never been so close to something like that, let alone at the holidays.” 

Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday that the suspect could face up to life in prison. 

The two Guardsmen had come through surgery, she said, but she declined to discuss their current conditions. One had volunteered to work on Thursday, she said, so colleagues could be home with their families for the holiday. 

Lakanwal arrived in 2021 and had reportedly worked with U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan before it fell to the Taliban again.