BREAKING: Sarah Beckstrom D.C. Guard Troop is not going to make it...

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Devastated Father of Young National Guard Soldier Declares 'She Has a Mortal Wound' After DC 'Terror Attack' Ambush

Washington, D.C. – November 27, 2025  The father of 20-year-old Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, a West Virginia National Guard member gunned down in a brazen ambush near the White House, delivered devastating news Thursday morning: his daughter "will not survive" her injuries. Gary Beckstrom, speaking briefly from his daughter's hospital bedside in Washington, D.C., choked back tears as he described the "mortal wound" inflicted on the young soldier just 24 hours after she was sworn in for deployment. "She has a mortal wound, it's not going to be a recovery. I'm holding her hand right now," the Summersville, West Virginia, resident told reporters outside the facility, his voice breaking under the weight of unimaginable grief. Beckstrom, a devoted father who raised Sarah amid the rolling hills of Appalachia, declined further comment, retreating to be with his family as medical teams fought a losing battle against the severity of her head wound. The attack, which President Donald Trump swiftly branded an "act of terror" in a fiery video address from his Palm Beach, Florida, residence, unfolded Wednesday afternoon in a scene of shocking violence mere blocks from the nation's seat of power. Specialist Beckstrom and her fellow Guardsman, 24-year-old Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, were patrolling the streets as part of a heightened security detail when they were targeted in what authorities described as a "monstrous, ambush-style" assault. The pair, fresh-faced volunteers who had stepped up to serve their country over the holiday weekend, were shot at point-blank range with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver. Beckstrom was hit first, collapsing to the ground before the assailant fired again—a callous act of overkill that U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro labeled "a direct challenge to law and order in our capital." Wolfe, struck in the head as he turned to engage the threat, managed to return fire alongside responding Guardsmen, subduing the gunman before succumbing to his own critical injuries. Both victims underwent emergency surgery late Wednesday and remain in critical condition at a secure D.C. medical center, their families shattered by the unfolding tragedy. A spokesperson for Wolfe's relatives in West Virginia echoed the plea for prayers, with one family member telling reporters, "All we need right now are prayers for my son." Pirro, addressing a packed press conference at the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse, vowed swift justice while holding back her own emotions. "Two families are shattered and destroyed and torn apart as the result of the actions of one man," she said, her voice steady but laced with fury. "We've undergone surgery and we pray for their well-being... but worst case scenario, minimum, life in prison with terrorism charges." Should either soldier succumb, Pirro added, federal prosecutors would pursue first-degree murder charges—and potentially the death penalty—against the suspect. The alleged perpetrator, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who resettled in the U.S. in 2021 under the Biden-era Operation Allies Welcome program, was himself wounded in the exchange and remains under heavy guard at a local hospital. Authorities revealed Thursday that Lakanwal had driven more than 2,700 miles cross-country from his home in Bellingham, Washington—near the Canadian border, where he lived with his wife and five young children—harboring what officials described as a premeditated plan to strike at American symbols of authority. The FBI, led by Director Kash Patel, is spearheading a "coast-to-coast" investigation into the shooting as a potential terrorist act, with agents poring over Lakanwal's digital footprint and travel records even as families gather for turkey and pie. No clear motive has been established, though early whispers point to possible resentment tied to his wartime experiences alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The assault has ignited a firestorm of national outrage and political recrimination. From his Mar-a-Lago perch, Trump decried the shooter as an "animal" who fired "at point-blank range in a monstrous attack," seizing the moment to rail against immigration policies. "Every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden must be re-examined," the president declared, vowing to "redouble" deportation efforts and calling the incident "a crime against humanity." D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser echoed the condemnation, labeling it a "targeted" strike on the capital's fragile peace, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a surge of additional National Guard troops into the District to bolster security through the holiday.

Eyewitnesses to the chaos painted a vivid portrait of pandemonium. Jamie McGee, 48, was lunching outdoors with her 20-year-old daughter Nyla—a Howard University student—when the gunfire erupted. "We saw a group of soldiers rushing past us, then the sirens started blaring," McGee recounted. "It was like something out of a nightmare, right there on a normal afternoon." As the nation pauses for gratitude amid grief, communities in West Virginia are rallying around the Beckstrom and Wolfe families. Summersville Mayor Robert Shafer urged residents to "take a moment to pray" for the fallen heroes, while local vigils flicker with candles and American flags. For Gary Beckstrom, though, the holiday holds no joy—only the hollow echo of a father's final vigil beside his dying daughter. In a year already scarred by division, this "terror attack" serves as a stark reminder of the perils faced by those who wear the uniform, and the profound human cost of unchecked shadows from wars past. Updates on the victims' conditions and the ongoing investigation are expected throughout the day. Our thoughts remain with the Beckstrom, Wolfe, and Lakanwal families—and with a capital city forever altered. 17GEN4.com