(WASHINGTON) — Two National Guard members from West Virginia remain in critical condition after being shot in downtown Washington, D.C., near the White House on Wednesday, according to officials.
“Unfortunately today, as most families join together to give thanks for the blessings that have been bestowed upon them, two families are shattered and destroyed and torn apart as a result of the actions of one man,” Jeanine Pirro, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said on Thursday.
The victims were identified as 20-year-old Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and 24-year-old U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, officials announced on Thursday.
Wolfe was a member of the Air National Guard in West Virginia who entered the service in February 2019 and had earned numerous service medals. Beckstrom was assigned to a military police company as part of the West Virginia National Guard, entering the service in June 2023, according to the West Virginia National Guard.
The two joined the D.C. task force at the beginning of the mission in early August, the West Virginia National Guard said in a statement.
During the press conference on Thursday, Pirro said the two Guardsmen were sworn in 24 hours prior to being shot. A joint task force spokesperson later said the two Guard members were deputized less than 24 hours before the shooting to “maintain their status to conduct presence patrols,” according to a joint task force spokesperson.
Brigadier Gen. Leland D. Blanchard II, commander of the D.C. National Guard, was emotional while discussing the struggles the families of the victims will face this Thanksgiving — with all their lives “changed forever because one person decided to do this horrific and evil thing.”
The two Guardsmen were armed at the time of the shooting, Jeffrey Carroll, the executive assistant chief for the Metropolitan Police Department, said on Wednesday.
The National Guard was deployed to the nation’s capital as part of President Trump’s federal takeover of the city in August. According to the most recent update, there are 2,188 Guard personnel assigned to D.C.
After the shooting, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said President Donald Trump has asked to send another 500 National Guardsmen to D.C.
The suspected shooter was identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who allegedly drove across the country from Washington state to the nation’s capital and targeted the Guardsmen, officials said.
Lakanwal was charged with three counts of assault with the intent to kill while armed and criminal possession of a weapon, but he could also face the charge of first-degree murder depending on the conditions of the Guardsmen, Pirro said.
ABC News’ Anne Flaherty contributed to this report.
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