What we do and don’t know about the shooting of 2 National Guard members in DC

WASHINGTON– The brazen broad daylight shooting of two National Guard members in the nation’s capital by a man authorities said was an Afghan national has raised many questions.

This includes the condition of the injured soldiers and details about the suspect and motive for the attack a day before Thanksgiving.

Here’s what we know so far and what we don’t know:

FBI Director Kash Patel and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said the two Guard members were hospitalized in critical condition.

They are from the West Virginia National Guard, which deployed hundreds of troops to the nation’s capital as part of President Donald Trump’s crime-fighting mission that included taking over the local police department.

There were nearly 2,200 Guard members in Washington for the mission.

The names and further details of the two injured soldiers are unknown until now.

West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey initially posted on social media that two of his state’s Guard members had been killed. He later walked back that information, saying his office was “receiving conflicting reports” about their condition. Morrisey did not provide further details.

Bowser called the attack a “targeted shooting.”

Jeffery Carroll, executive assistant to the Washington, D.C., police chief, said video reviewed by investigators showed the assailant “came around the corner” and immediately began shooting at the troops. The suspect opened fire with a revolver, according to a law enforcement official.

At least one Guard member exchanged gunfire with the shooter, another law enforcement official said. Both were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Troops ran and restrained the shooter, Carroll said, and he was taken into custody. Authorities believe he was the only shooter.

Carroll said it was unclear whether one of the Guard members or a law enforcement officer shot the suspect and investigators had no information so far on a motive.

The suspect’s injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, one of the officials said.

The suspect is believed to be a 29-year-old Afghan national who entered the United States in September 2021 and was living in Washington state, two law enforcement officials and a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

He arrived in the United States as part of Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden administration program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from the country, officials said.

Law enforcement identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, but authorities are still working to fully confirm his background, they said. The people could not discuss details of an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Lakamal arrived in Bellingham, Washington, about four years ago with his wife and five children, according to his former owner Kristina Widman.

They were among approximately 800 Afghan refugees who settled in Washington state as part of Operation Allies Welcome with financial support from the U.S. government. Among those partnering with federal agencies to sponsor Afghan families was World Relief, a faith-based group that helped refugees find housing, job training and language classes as they settled in the Seattle area.

It is not clear how Lakanwal could have reached the national capital, which is around 4,000 kilometers away.

Shortly after the shooting, Trump said he would send 500 additional National Guard troops to Washington, DC. It is not clear where these additional troops would come from.

As of early November, the D.C. National Guard had the largest number of troops on the ground with 949. In addition to West Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama also had forces in the capital earlier this month.

A federal judge last week ordered an end to the Guard deployment, but also suspended his order for 21 days to give the Trump administration time to withdraw troops or appeal.

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Associated Press journalists Alanna Durkin Richer, Eric Tucker, Michael R. Sisak, Mike Balsamo, Michael Biesecker and Jesse Bedayn contributed to this report.