The suspect in a fatal shooting targeting two U.S. National Guard members in Washington, D.C., will be charged with first-degree murder following the death of one of the victims, media reports said on Friday.
"There are certainly many more charges to come, but we are upgrading the initial charges of assault to murder in the first degree," Jeanine Pirro, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, told Fox News.
The shooting occurred around 2.15 pm local time (1915GMT) on Wednesday near the Farragut West Metro station in the U.S. capital.
The victims, Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, both from the nearby state of West Virginia, were reportedly ambushed.
U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed Beckstrom’s death Thursday evening, saying: “She’s no longer with us. She’s looking down at us right now.”
“The other young man is fighting for his life,” president Trump added, referring to Wolfe.
Suspect drove across country to Washington
The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, allegedly drove across the country from Washington state in the northwestern U.S. to the capital and opened fire “without provocation, ambush style,” Pirro said. He reportedly used a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver.
Lakanwal was initially charged with three counts of assault with intent to kill along with criminal possession of a weapon.
According to FBI Director Kash Patel, a search of Lakanwal’s home in Bellingham in Washington state uncovered “numerous electronic devices.”
The FBI is also investigating his “relationship in Afghanistan with partner forces,” Patel said. U.S. officials said Thursday that, Lakanwal had worked with U.S. forces in Afghanistan before August 2021, when the Afghan government fell to Taliban forces.
Law enforcement sources said Lakanwal, originally from Afghanistan, came to the U.S. in 2021, applied for asylum in 2024, and was granted it in April. He reportedly struggled financially due to an expired work permit.
Many former U.S. allies in Afghanistan applied to live in the US after 2021, as they had worked against the Taliban and feared for their safety.
The National Guard was deployed to Washington, D.C. in August, as part of a controversial Trump administration initiative said to target safer streets. Many of the cities involved resisted the deployment, saying it was not needed and created a dangerous precedent in sending the military to American soil without good reason.
Nearly 2,200 members of the guard are currently still stationed in Washington.
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The Iran-U.S.-Israel conflict is intensifying, with fresh strikes near Tehran, European calls for restraint, and Iran threatening to target U.S. firms in the region, raising fears of a broader escalation across the Middle East.
Three Armenian citizens have been charged following an alleged attempt to attack Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at St Anna Cathedral in Yerevan on 29 March. Analysts say the incident reflects rising tensions between the government and the Church ahead of upcoming elections.
HHungary’s foreign minister has been drawn into controversy after an audio recording, released by an investigative outlet, appeared to show him discussing EU sanctions with his Russian counterpart days before an election that could shape Budapest’s relationship with Moscow, Reuters reports.
China and Kenya have agreed to revive a long-delayed railway project, signalling renewed momentum in infrastructure cooperation and a shift towards more sustainable financing models across Africa.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said that the U.S is in talks with the new Iranian regime. He said this in a post on his Truth Social account but warned that the U.S. will "Obliterate" Iran's electric and oil facilities if no deal is reached, especially regarding the Strait of Hormuz closure.
NASA is aiming to launch its Artemis 2 mission on Wednesday (1 April), sending astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon, officials confirmed. According to the Space Administration, the launch window is due to open at 23:24 GMT, with additional opportunities to 6 April if delays occur.
The Iran-U.S.-Israel conflict is intensifying, with fresh strikes near Tehran, European calls for restraint, and Iran threatening to target U.S. firms in the region, raising fears of a broader escalation across the Middle East.
The war in Iran has rapidly upended regional security, triggering spillover across the Middle East and raising fears of wider economic disruption that could threaten globalisation.
The Israeli military said on Monday that Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel, and an attack had also been launched from Yemen for the second time since the U.S.-Israeli war began on Tehran. It said two drones from Yemen were intercepted early 30 March but gave no further details.
A Russia-flagged tanker carrying about 700,000 barrels of crude has arrived in Cuba’s Matanzas Bay, marking the first major oil delivery to the island since the Trump administration cut off its fuel supplies.
China and Kenya have agreed to revive a long-delayed railway project, signalling renewed momentum in infrastructure cooperation and a shift towards more sustainable financing models across Africa.
HHungary’s foreign minister has been drawn into controversy after an audio recording, released by an investigative outlet, appeared to show him discussing EU sanctions with his Russian counterpart days before an election that could shape Budapest’s relationship with Moscow, Reuters reports.
The European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas and several EU foreign ministers arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday to mark the fourth anniversary of the Bucha massacre and to voice their support for Ukraine, amid tensions within the bloc over blocked EU aid.
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