In a shocking incident that disrupted the pre-Thanksgiving calm in Washington DC, two National Guard troops were shot while on duty near a busy metro station. The attack occurred on Wednesday afternoon, sending parts of the capital into lockdown and briefly halting flights at Reagan National Airport.
The Attack and Immediate Aftermath
According to local police, members of the West Virginia National Guard were patrolling a busy intersection outside a Washington DC subway station when a suspect emerged from around a corner and opened fire. The two victims, who remain unidentified, were critically injured in the shooting and were rushed to hospital where they remained in critical condition as of Wednesday evening.
The scene quickly transformed from ordinary sidewalks frequented by federal workers, lobbyists, and journalists into a chaotic crime scene. Glass from a bus stop was shattered, and Secret Service officers were seen huddling over one victim as emergency vehicles swarmed the area. The White House, located just blocks from the attack site, along with several embassies in the vicinity, immediately went into lockdown as a precautionary measure.
Identifying the Suspect and Official Response
Law enforcement sources have identified the suspected shooter as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national. The suspect is currently in police custody while receiving medical treatment at a hospital.
President Trump responded strongly to the incident, referring to the shooter as an "animal" and vowing that he would "pay a very steep price." Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the Trump administration would be deploying 500 additional National Guard troops to the capital, stating that the shooting would "only stiffen our resolve to ensure that we make Washington DC safe and beautiful."
Context of National Guard Deployment
The shooting victims were part of nearly 2,200 National Guard members deployed to Washington under Trump's declaration of a "crime emergency" in August. This deployment included 1,300 troops from multiple states whose governors volunteered them, including Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio, Louisiana, and South Carolina, in addition to West Virginia.
Just a week before the shooting, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey had extended the deployment of approximately 180 West Virginia National Guard members until December 31. When he initially deployed his state's National Guard to Washington in mid-August, Morrisey expressed pride "to stand with President Trump in his effort to restore pride and beauty to our nation's capital."
Despite initial controversy surrounding their presence, DC residents had grown accustomed to seeing uniformed troops during their daily commutes or at dinner. Visitors often snapped photos with them at Union Station or the National Mall. The troops were primarily stationed around the city's downtown area, upscale corridors, metro stations, and tourist hubs.
National Guard officials noted that in recent months, their members have provided medical assistance, picked up trash, spread mulch, painted fences, and even helped elderly locals who fell off their bicycles. However, the deployment has faced legal challenges, with the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia and the West Virginia Citizen Action Group suing to block the deployment, arguing that Governor Morrisey exceeded his constitutional authority.
Brian Schwalb, the DC attorney general who had previously sued over the deployment, described Wednesday as "a heartbreaking day for DC and our nation" in a social media post following the shooting. The attorney general's office had previously expressed concerns in court filings about the deployment presenting "an opportunity for criminal, violent extremists, issue motivated groups and lone actors to advance their interests."
