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In a poignant message shared on Facebook, Gary Beckstrom announced the tragic passing of his daughter, Sarah Beckstrom, a member of the West Virginia National Guard. The news was shared on Thursday, leaving many in mourning.
“My baby girl has passed to glory. If I’m not responsive, please understand; this has been a terrible tragedy,” he expressed in his heartfelt post.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, has been identified as a suspect in the shooting incident that claimed Sarah Beckstrom’s life and wounded her fellow Guard member, Andrew Wolfe, in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.
Both National Guard members, Sarah Beckstrom, aged 20, and Andrew Wolfe, aged 24, were involved in this unfortunate event in the nation’s capital.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem addressed the situation in a post on X, stating, “The suspect who shot our brave National Guardsmen is an Afghan national. He was one of many who entered the United States under Operation Allies Welcome on September 8, 2021, during the Biden Administration, without thorough vetting.”
President Donald Trump referred to the perpetrator as a “monster” during remarks on Thursday, noting that he was “in serious condition.”
President Donald Trump participates in a call with U.S. service members from his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Thanksgiving Day on Nov. 27, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida. (Pete Marovich/Getty Images)
Trump noted on Thursday that Beckstrom had died while the other victim was “fighting for his life.”
A Thursday press release stated that “At approximately 2:15 p.m., on November 26, 2025, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, assigned to the Force Support Squadron, 167th Airlift Wing, West Virginia Air National Guard, and U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, assigned to the 863rd Military Police Company, 111th Engineer Brigade, West Virginia Army National Guard, were wounded in a shooting near the Farragut Square Metro Station in Washington, D.C.”
Undated file photo of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the suspect in the shooting of  two National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C., Nov. 26, 2025. (Provided by Department of Justice)
“All we need right now are prayers for my son,” a man at Wolfe’s family home informed a reporter, according to the New York Times.
