D.C. law enforcement officers may join National Guard patrols, officials say
There are ongoing discussions about whether Washington, D.C., agencies, including the Metropolitan Police Department, Metro Transit Police and U.S. Park Police, should accompany National Guard members on patrols of the city, two law enforcement officials told CBS News on Friday.
No final agreement has been reached, the officials said.
National Guard forces typically operate independently. They are usually concentrated around downtown D.C., the National Mall and Metro stations. Wednesday’s attack originated near a downtown D.C. Metro station.
The discussions were first reported by the Washington Post.
Investigators search for signs of radicalization or coordination
U.S. intelligence analysts are combing the suspect’s communications and online footprint for signs of international coordination or ideological radicalization, multiple U.S. officials said. An early review of his social media and messaging channels has not revealed links to foreign handlers or extremist groups.
FBI Director Kash Patel said that law enforcement has seized numerous electronic devices, including cellphones, laptops and iPads. Interviews with the suspect’s family and associates are being conducted. Family members, including the suspect’s brother, said they were stunned by the shooting, according to multiple U.S. officials.
Counterterrorism officials are searching for evidence of extremist influence, including ISIS and al-Qaeda-aligned narratives that often target former U.S. partner forces with messaging that they will be abandoned or deported. While the suspect repeatedly expressed a fear of deportation, investigators have not linked that anxiety to extremist propaganda or a specific organization, U.S. officials said.
By Nicole Sganga and Camilo Montoya-Galvez
Suspect has been placed on a ventilator, officials say
The suspect has been sedated and placed on a ventilator since the shooting, multiple U.S. officials told CBS News. The treatment has complicated efforts to interview him and retain biometrics.
Mr. Trump said Thursday that the suspect was in serious condition. The suspect was described as uncooperative after the shooting.
By Nicole Sganga and Camilo Montoya-Galvez
Gun used in shooting not registered to suspect, officials say
The revolver used in the attack was not registered to the suspect, according to investigators. Instead, the gun belonged to a deceased Washington state resident, investigators said.
Authorities said the suspect drove from Washington state to Washington, D.C. The weapon was loaded with just four rounds at the time of the shooting, authorities said. Officials said the number of bullets is unusual and remains unexplained.
By Nicole Sganga and Camilo Montoya-Galvez
Suspect served on CIA-backed operations teams for about 8 years, officials say
Multiple U.S. officials told CBS News that the suspect served on CIA-backed operations teams for about eight years. He suffered from PTSD, the officials said.
The suspect and his family fled Taliban threats in Afghanistan’s Khost province, and relocated to Kabul before being transferred to the United States under Operation Allies Welcome in 2021.
The suspect entered the U.S. under a parole program, an official told CBS News, not through the lengthier special immigrant visa process historically required for Afghan military partners.
Despite the operational vetting conducted during the war, which was aimed largely at ensuring Afghan partner forces would not turn their weapons on U.S. personnel, former intelligence officials say that screening was never intended to serve as immigration clearance.
By Nicole Sganga and Camilo Montoya-Galvez
Sources confirm suspect had been part of Afghan “Zero Unit”
An image of an ID badge circulating widely online that shows the suspect says he was assigned to the “Kandahar Strike Force” or “03” unit, one of a number of so-called “Zero Units” that worked closely with U.S. and other foreign forces during the war in Afghanistan. A former senior Afghan military source confirmed to CBS News that the ID badge is authentic.
A U.S. official briefed on the shooting investigation and a former senior Afghan National Defense and Security Forces member told CBS News that the suspect had been part of a “Zero Unit,” an Afghan intelligence unit and paramilitary force that worked with the CIA. They were considered by the U.S. and its international partners to be among the most trusted domestic forces in Afghanistan.
Those units are often labeled “death squads” by human rights groups. The units were known in Afghanistan for their secrecy and alleged brutality, and members were implicated in numerous extrajudicial killings of civilians, particularly during night raids.
The U.S. official briefed on the investigation confirmed the suspect had been disturbed by the casualties in this unit and, more recently, deeply troubled by the killing of his close friend overseas.
By Ahmad Mukhtar and Nicole Sganga
Procession honors slain guard member
Beckstrom’s body was moved from the hospital where she died to the D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Thursday night, the National Guard told CBS News.
Beckstrom received an honor escort, which is also known as a fallen soldier procession. Photos show U.S. service members lining the procession’s route.
The procession symbolizes “the nation’s gratitude for a life given in service,” according to the Department of Defense.
Wounded guard member remains in critical condition
Pirro said that Wolfe remains in critical condition. She did not share any specifics.
“We still have hope,” she said on Fox News.
Wolfe underwent surgery after the shooting. Mr. Trump said on Thursday that he was “fighting for his life.” Pirro said that the government is supporting his family “during this difficult time.”
Suspect will be charged with murder
Lakanwal will be charged with murder in the first degree, Pirro said during a Fox & Friends appearance on Friday morning. She called Beckstrom’s killing a “premeditated murder.”
More charges may follow as the investigation unfolds, she said.
“This is a case that has touched the hearts of so many Americans because to be gunned down on the streets on the nation’s holiday is an outrage,” Pirro said. “The individual who did this will pay the ultimate price, according to the attorney general, Pam Bondi, as well he should.”
Pirro declined to discuss details of the investigation, but said that “there will be no stone left unturned.”
“We will know everything we need to know. It’s not time to share that. When the time comes, we will share it,” she said.
National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom remembered as “a hero”
In a statement confirming her death Thursday night, the commander of Joint Task Force District of Columbia hailed Army National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom as “a hero.”
“This is a devastating loss to our National Guard family,” Col. Larry Doane said in a statement. “Spc. Sarah Beckstrom came to the District from West Virginia to make our nation’s capital safe and beautiful. She is a hero and we mourn her passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with her loved ones and with the West Virginia National Guard.”
Beckstrom enlisted in the West Virginia National Guard in June 2023. She served as a military police soldier with the 863rd Military Police Company.
Second National Guard member shot in D.C. is “fighting for his life,” Trump says
One of two National Guard members who were shot in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday is “fighting for his life,” President Trump told reporters Thursday.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, is “in very bad shape,” Mr. Trump said. “Hopefully, we’ll get better news in respect to him.”
Earlier Thursday, U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro said Wolfe was in critical condition after undergoing surgery.
The second victim, 20-year-old Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, died from her injuries, Mr. Trump said.
Law enforcement sources told CBS News the two were on patrol outside a downtown D.C. metro station when a gunman opened fire in what the sources described as a “clear ambush” and “calculated attack.”
One of 2 National Guard members shot in D.C. has died, Trump says
One of the National Guard members who was shot, 20-year-old Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, has died, President Trump said Thursday.
“Right now I heard that Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, one of the guardsmen that we’re talking about, highly respected, young, magnificent person, started service in June of 2023, outstanding in every way, she has just passed away,” Mr. Trump told reporters Thursday evening.
A White House official later said the president spoke with Beckstrom’s parents Thursday evening.
Suspect may have suffered from paranoia, mental health challenges, investigators believe
A running theory of investigators is that the suspect in the shooting of the two National Guard members suffered from paranoia and other mental health challenges that indicated he believed authorities sought to deport him from the U.S., multiple law enforcement sources told CBS News on Thursday.
By Nicole Sganga and Pat Milton
Multiple family members of the suspect have been interviewed, sources say
Multiple family members of the suspect in Washington state have been interviewed by investigators following a search of the suspect’s Bellingham home, multiple law enforcement sources told CBS News.
Federal law enforcement, led by the FBI, are scrutinizing and analyzing the suspect’s digital footprint, the sources said. No other suspects have been identified in connection with the shooting.
By Nicole Sganga and Pat Milton