Tragic Shooting of National Guard Member
Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old member of the West Virginia National Guard, was tragically shot and killed in an unprovoked attack by Afghan refugees.
President Trump announced her passing during a Thanksgiving night speech, expressing sorrow for her loss. “She just passed away. She’s no longer with us. She’s looking down on us now,” he remarked.
Beckstrom was critically injured, sustaining gunshot wounds to her chest and head.
After the shocking incident, she received emergency surgery, yet her condition remained serious.
Her father, Gary Beckstrom, was in disbelief as he held her hand, fearing for her life. “I’m holding her hand right now. She is mortally wounded. She will never recover,” he stated.
Authorities are pursuing first-degree murder charges against Rahmanullah Rakanwal, who allegedly attacked Beckstrom and her fellow soldiers near Farragut West subway station in northwest Washington, D.C.
Another soldier, Andrew Wolfe, aged 24, was also injured in the same attack. Like Beckstrom, he underwent surgery and is now hospitalized.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro noted that both had only been sworn in 24 hours prior to the incident.
U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi shared that Beckstrom chose to work the holiday shift to allow others to spend Thanksgiving with their families. “But now their families are fighting for their lives alongside them in hospital rooms,” she lamented.
Rakanwal, 29, is accused of ambushing the guardsmen near the White House and firing a .357 revolver at them. He was shot in the return fire from other guards.
The motive for the attack remains under investigation, with authorities treating it as a targeted act of terrorism.
Pirro revealed that Rakanwal had driven across the country from Bellingham, Washington, where he lived with his wife and five children, to execute this attack.
A relative confirmed that he had been part of the Afghan army in Kandahar, working with U.S. special forces. He arrived in the U.S. during the tumultuous evacuation from Afghanistan in 2021 and applied for asylum in December 2024, which was granted earlier this year. Notably, he had no previous criminal record.
