A man is in custody after two members of the West Virginia National Guard were shot and critically wounded in Washington, D.C., near the White House on Wednesday afternoon.
There were initially reports that the two had died, though it was later confirmed that they were wounded and are being treated in local hospitals.
The shooting occurred near 17th and I Street Northwest. Police described the individual as a “lone gunman” who rounded a corner and opened fire on the Guardsmen.
Nearby members of the Guard heard gunshots and were able to “subdue the individual” after a “back and forth” in which the suspect was also shot, Executive Assistant Washington Police Chief Jeff Carroll said during a press conference on Wednesday.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser described the attack as a “targeted shooting.”
open image in galleryOfficials have reportedly tentatively identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in 2021 and has been living in Washington state, unnamed law enforcement sources told The Associated Press.
There is no indication of another suspect at this time, Carroll said.
The individual will be charged with assault on a federal officer, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.
The FBI will reportedly investigate the incident as a potential act of terrorism, a law enforcement source told NBC News, adding that the suspect is thought to have wielded a handgun.
“DHS is working with local law enforcement to gather more information,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on X.
President Trump is currently in Florida and Vice President Vance is in Kentucky. The White House was nonetheless temporarily in a state of lockdown after the shooting.
After the attack, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said an additional 500 Guard troops would be ordered to Washington.
open image in gallery“We will never back down,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “We will secure our capital. We will secure our cities.”
The Independent has contacted the National Guard, Secret Service, and Washington police for comment.
In a post on Truth Social, President Trump said that the “animal that shot the two National Guardsmen” was “severely wounded” and “will pay a very steep price.”
Witness Michael Ryan was across the street when he heard the first round of gun shots and was in “disbelief,” he told The Independent.
“People started running,” he said. “Cars started speeding off as well.”
open image in galleryAfter Ryan ran about half a block, a second round of shots began.
The shooting had “no known direction of interest towards the White House other than the location at this time,” and no Secret Service members at the scene fired any shots, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told The Washington Post.
The scene of the shooting, which took place near the Farragut West metro stop, was cordoned off with police tape and surrounded by personnel from multiple law enforcement agencies. Guard troops have been a regular presence there and at other transit hubs for months since the Trump administration ordered the military into the capital.
The FBI is assisting with the investigation into the shooting.
An expanded contingent of National Guard troops has been active in the capital since August, when President Trump issued an executive order declaring a crime emergency in Washington.
The operation currently includes about 2,100 troops.
Last week, a federal judge ordered the administration end the deployment, finding that the White House illegally overstepped local powers to direct law enforcement in Washington, though the ruling is on hold for three weeks to allow time for appeals.
The Trump administration has deployed the National Guard to at least nine, mostly Democrat-led cities, this year. The missions have frequently been met with protests and local officials have sued to block the operations.
Eric Garcia contributed reporting to this story
