Parents of National Guardsman Injured in D.C. Shooting Share Update on His Recovery

One of the two National Guard soldiers shot near the White House last month is still recovering and receiving intensive medical care, according to an update from his family.

A gunman opened fire on Spec. Sarah Beckstrom and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe on the afternoon of Nov. 26 as they patrolled near the White House, just days before Thanksgiving.

The following day, President Donald Trump announced that Beckstrom, 20, had died from her injuries. Wolfe’s mother, Melody, wrote on Facebook that her 24-year-old son had made it through surgery and was “alive,” according to The Washington Post.

More than a week later, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey shared a new update on Wolfe’s condition on behalf of his parents via a statement on his website. The update was released on Friday, Dec. 5, the same day Morrisey, 57, was scheduled to attend a vigil for Wolfe.

“His parents report that his head wound is slowly healing and that he’s beginning to ‘look more like himself,’ ” Morrisey said in the statement.

“Overall, the family expects that Andy will be in acute care for another 2–3 weeks but have been optimistic about his progress,” the governor continued. “We continue to ask all West Virginians and Americans for their prayers! They are making a difference!”

In her Nov. 27 Facebook post, Wolfe’s mother shared more details about his early condition. “Andy’s been out of surgery for a few hours,” she wrote, per the Post. “His brain is being allowed space to swell and this first 24 to 48 hours is the biggest right now.”

“They have no clue about any lasting effects right now because we’re in this very first stage,” she continued. “The first two weeks will be a waiting game. Right now he’s surviving and alive. We got to see him in ICU and he’s sedated. It feels like a nightmare and this doesn’t feel real.”

On the morning of Nov. 27, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said, according to the Post, that the families of Wolfe and Beckstrom were “shattered and destroyed and torn apart as the result of the actions of one man.”

The suspect has been identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, the outlet reported.

Prosecutors say Lakanwal, who was living in Washington state, drove across the country to D.C. and then opened fire on Wolfe and Beckstrom outside the Farragut West Metro station with a .357-caliber revolver, according to the Post.

Earlier this week, he was formally charged with first-degree murder, assault with intent to kill while armed and two counts of possessing a firearm during a crime of violence, the outlet reported.

Lakanwal pleaded not guilty through his defense attorney at a hearing on Tuesday, Dec. 2, the Post said.

Beckstrom and Wolfe were among more than 2,000 National Guard troops sent to Washington, D.C., in August in response to what Trump, 79, described as rampant crime in the nation’s capital.

Critics, however, have argued that deploying such a large military presence to the city was an excessive and politically driven move, given Washington’s long-standing Democratic leanings.