US National Guardsman shot by Rahmanullah Lakanwal near White House ID'd as Andrew Wolfe
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "US National Guardsman shot by Rahmanullah Lakanwal near White House ID'd as Andrew Wolfe")
National Guard soldier identified Photograph: (Combination created using images from AFP and X)
One of the two soldiers shot near the White House has been identified as West Virginia resident Andrew Wolfe, now in critical condition and undergoing surgery. His old school confirmed his name in a post that was deleted later. Scroll for what happened and what we know so far.
One of the two West Virginia National Guard members shot in a brazen attack near the White House on Wednesday (Nov 26) has been identified as Andrew Wolfe. His former high school, Musselman High School, in a since-deleted post on Facebook, confirmed the injured National Guard's identity, while asking people to pray for him.
Also read | Afghan migrant Rahmanullah Lakanwal identified as perp behind horrific Washington National Guard shooting
Who is Andrew Wolfe?
As per a Facebook post by West Virginia-based Musselman High School, its alumnus, Andrew Wolfe, is one of the two US National Guards "critically" injured in the brazen shooting attack by an Afghan national. 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal allegedly opened fire near the Farragut West Metro Station in downtown Washington, injuring Wolfe and another soldier whose identity is yet to be released.
"Our Applemen community is deeply saddened," the school wrote, adding that "Andrew is currently in critical condition and undergoing surgery". The statement urged the public to keep Wolfe, his family, and all those affected in their thoughts, noting that updates would be shared when available.
The second victim, a female National Guard member reportedly shot in the chest and head, has not yet been publicly identified.
Who is Rahmanullah Lakanwal? All we know about the US National Guard shooter
Lakanwal, as per a Reuters report citing an anonymous Justice Department official, has been staying in Washington since immigrating to the US on a special visa programme. The special visa programme was for Afghans who assisted the US during the Afghanistan war and were vulnerable to reprisals from the ruling Taliban after the US withdrawal, the official said. However, Federal agencies have not yet publicly identified the alleged shooter.
FBI Director Kash Patel said both soldiers, deployed as part of Trump's federal anti-crime mission, remain in "critical condition". West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey initially reported they had died, but later corrected the claim. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser called the attack a "targeted shooting".
