Editor’s note: The West Virginia governor initially said that the 2 Guard members had died but has since said there is conflicting information about their conditions.
Two West Virginia National Guard members were in critical condition Wednesday after a gunman opened fire near the White House in what officials called an apparent targeted shooting.
President Donald Trump, speaking Wednesday night, called the attack “an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror,” and described it as “a crime against our entire nation.” Citing Department of Homeland Security information, he said the suspect entered the U.S. from Afghanistan in September 2021 and criticized the prior Biden administration’s handling of arrivals.
Multiple law enforcement sources identified the suspect to ABC News as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal. Sources told ABC News Lakanwal applied for asylum in 2024 and was granted asylum in April 2025, during the Trump administration.
Following Trump’s remarks, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services posted that processing of immigration requests related to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending a review of security and vetting protocols.
Officials said the FBI is investigating whether the shooting could be an act of international terrorism and whether it was inspired by an international terrorist organization. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C. and other law enforcement agencies were expected to release more information Thursday.
How the shooting unfolded
Authorities said the two wounded Guard members — a woman and a man — were being treated at local hospitals. The gunfire erupted about 2:15 p.m. Wednesday near the Farragut West Metro station in downtown Washington, D.C., when a man rounded a corner, raised a firearm and opened fire, Metropolitan Police Executive Assistant Chief Jeffery Carroll said.
“It appears … to be a lone gunman that raised a firearm and ambushed these members of the National Guard,” Carroll said.
Other National Guard members quickly intervened, subdued the suspect and held him down after he had been shot and wounded. The suspected shooter was taken to a hospital in critical condition. At an earlier news conference, Carroll said it was not immediately clear who had shot the suspect.
Maj. Gen. Tim Seward, adjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard, praised the rapid action of fellow Guardsmen, saying their response “saved lives.” Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said the individual “appeared to target” the Guard members.
Multiple agencies, including U.S. Marshals, the ATF and the FBI, responded to the scene. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said DHS was working with local authorities to gather information.
The White House was briefly placed on lockdown; that order was lifted around 5 p.m. Trump was in Florida at his Mar-a-Lago club when he addressed the attack. On social media Wednesday afternoon he wrote that “the animal that shot the two National Guardsmen” would “pay a very steep price,” and expressed support for the Guard and law enforcement.
Context and official reactions
The National Guard has been deployed to Washington, D.C., under President Trump’s federal takeover and crime crackdown begun in August; officials said 2,188 Guard personnel were assigned to the city. At Tuesday’s White House turkey pardoning, Trump praised the takeover and said the city had become “totally safe,” thanking the National Guard for their work.
Vice President J.D. Vance, speaking at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, said investigators were still seeking motive and offered thanks to service members. “We’re still learning everything. We still don’t know the motive,” he said, calling the attack a somber reminder of the risks faced by soldiers.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the shooting a “cowardly, dastardly act” and said the president directed him to send another 500 National Guardsmen to D.C. Gen. Steven Nordhaus, chief of the National Guard Bureau, and Senior Enlisted Advisor John Raines were headed to Washington to be with troops.
“This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.”
ABC News’ Jack Date, Katherine Faulders, Beatrice Peterson, Mike Levine, Chris Boccia, Anne Flaherty, Jay O’Brien, Alexandra Hutzler and Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.