2 National Guardsmen Shot In DC; Afghan National In Custody

Image courtesy of PBS.

By Patrick D. Lewis

Two members of the West Virginia National Guard are in critical condition after being shot near the Farragut Square Metro station Wednesday. The FBI is investigating the shooting as an act of terrorism and a suspect is in custody, according to officials. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said the shooting was targeted at the soldiers.

The shooting unfolded just blocks from the White House. According to the Associated Press, D.C. Metropolitan Police Executive Assistant Chief Jeffrey Carroll said the shooter came around a corner and ambushed the two soldiers who were conducting a foot patrol as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to crack down on crime in the city.

Both soldiers were medevaced from the scene and hospitalized. West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey initially said that the soldiers had died before clarifying his statement to say they were in critical condition, which has since been confirmed by FBI Director Kash Patel.

Guardsmen, local, and federal agents swarmed the area and took a suspect into custody. The suspect was also shot but is believed to be in non-life-threatening condition, according to officials.

The suspect, who investigators said was not cooperating with police, has been identified by the FBI as a man from Afghanistan living in Washington State, according to CNN. Fox News reported that the man had overstayed his visa after entering the country during President Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome, which allowed some Afghanis to enter the U.S. following the American withdrawal from the country. Carroll said he believes the gunman acted alone.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that Trump has ordered the deployment of 500 additional National Guard troops to the nation’s capital in the wake of the shooting. 

Flights in and out of Reagan National Airport were temporarily stopped while police and military helicopters headed to the scene to assist but the ground stop has since been released. Most roads downtown are shut down for security reasons.