National Guardsman Andrew Wolfe ‘slowly healing’ after DC shooting

West Virginia National Guard member Andrew Wolfe is starting to “look more like himself” after he was shot and killed the day before Thanksgiving in an ambush-style attack in Washington, D.C., that also took the life of fellow National Guard officer Sarah Beckstrom.

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey relayed the update before attending a Friday night prayer vigil for Wolfe at Musselman High School in Berkeley County, where the 24-year-old graduated from.

Morrisey added that Wolfe’s head injury is “healing slowly,” but his family expects him to remain in intensive care for another two to three weeks.

“They remain optimistic about the future,” the governor said, citing Wolfe’s parents. “We continue to ask all West Virginians and Americans for their prayers! They are making a difference!”

Wolfe, a staff sergeant, had been deployed to the nation’s capital when he and Beckstrom were shot at point-blank range on Nov. 26, just blocks from the White House. They were in Washington as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to crack down on what it calls rampant crime in major U.S. cities.

Beckstrom died the next day, on Thanksgiving. The army specialist was 20 years old. Wolfe was in critical condition after the shooting. Then-President Trump said he was “in very bad shape,” while Morrisey said last weekend that Wolfe was “still fighting for his life.”

The suspect in the attack, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, appeared in virtual court from a hospital bed on Tuesday. He was also shot during the confrontation and taken into custody, officials said.

He has since been charged with one count of first-degree murdertwo counts of assault with intent to kill while armed and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. Lakanwal has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

He was ordered held without bail and is due back in court on January 14.