Crime
West Virginia National Guard Member Sarah Beckstrom Dies After Being Shot by Afghan National Rahmanullah Lakanwal in Washington
A West Virginia National Guard member has died following a shooting near the White House on Wednesday.
Officials have identified the victim as 20-year-old Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, who sustained critical injuries during what authorities are describing as an ambush-style attack in downtown Washington, D.C.
Former President Donald Trump publicly confirmed her death, stating he was notified moments before addressing the public.
โI was informed that Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, one of the guardsmen involved in this horrific attack โ a highly respected and remarkable young woman who began her service in June of 2023 โ has passed away. She is no longer with us, but she is looking down on us now,โ Trump said.
The second victim, identified as 24-year-old Specialist Andrew Wolfe, remains in critical condition and is reported to be โfighting for his life.โ
Both soldiers had been sworn into active duty less than 24 hours before the shooting occurred. Beckstrom was from Webster Springs, and Wolfe is from Martinsburg, West Virginia.
Multiple federal law enforcement agencies have confirmed that the alleged shooter is 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who entered the United States on September 8, 2021, under the Biden administrationโs Operation Allies Welcome, which assisted Afghan allies following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
He later resettled in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children.
Investigators state that Lakanwal previously served in the Afghan Special Forces and fought alongside U.S. forces against the Taliban.
He reportedly applied for asylum in 2024, and the application was approved earlier this year. However, officials now report that his legal permission to remain in the United States expired in September 2025, leaving him in the country without lawful status at the time of the incident.
Several sources have indicated that Lakanwal may have shouted a phrase in a foreign language during the attack.
Federal agencies have not yet confirmed whether this was motivated by terrorism, though the FBI has opened a counterterrorism investigation.
The shooting occurred near the Farragut Metro Station, only blocks from the White House. Approximately 10โ15 rounds were fired.
Officials describe the attack as intentional and targeted. The incident escalated into a gunfight, and the suspect was shot multiple times before being taken into custody.
Lakanwal is hospitalized and has reportedly refused to cooperate with investigators.
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey issued a statement expressing deep sorrow, noting earlier confusion over the victimsโ conditions due to conflicting emergency reports.
โDenise and I are devastated by this tragedy. Our prayers remain with these brave service members, their families, and the entire Guard community,โ Morrisey said.
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb also condemned the attack, adding:
โViolence is never the answer and must be condemnedโswiftly and without hesitation. These guardsmen volunteered to serve their nation. This is a heartbreaking day for our city and our country.โ
Federal agencies, including the FBI, DHS, and military intelligence, are continuing to investigate the motive, background, and movements of the suspect.
A search warrant was executed at his Washington State residence the same night.
Officials are reviewing whether the attack meets the legal standard for an act of terrorism.
Further updates will be released as additional verified information becomes available.
Crime
MIT Professor Nuno Loureiro Shooting Suspect Identified as 48-Year-Old Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente
Authorities have identified the suspect connected to both the Brown University mass shooting in Rhode Island and the fatal shooting of MIT professor Dr. Nuno F. G. Loureiro in Massachusetts as Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national, according to law enforcement sources.
Investigators say Neves-Valente was found deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound inside an Extra Space Storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, effectively ending a multistate manhunt.
Law enforcement officials confirmed that Neves-Valente was not a U.S. citizen, but a lawful permanent resident of the United States.
His last known address was in Miami, Florida. Police have stated that he took his own life, and the manner of death is being investigated in coordination with the medical examiner.
Sources familiar with the investigation say Neves-Valente had a storage unit registered in his name at the Salem facility, the same location where an abandoned vehicle linked to the case was previously discovered.
Surveillance video reportedly shows him entering the storage complex; however, investigators initially could not confirm whether he exited prior to being found deceased. Authorities have said agents had not entered the unit earlier in the operation as the scene remained part of an active investigation.
Investigators also revealed that the suspect used multiple sets of license plates on the same vehicle, a tactic authorities believe was intended to evade detection.
A witness-provided license plate in the Brown University shooting led investigators to trace the vehicleโs ownership and usage history, which ultimately connected it to the Brookline, Massachusetts homicide of Dr. Loureiro.
The vehicle was later located in Salem after a license plate reader flagged one of the associated plates, prompting a significant law enforcement response involving federal, state, and local agencies near the Salem, New HampshireโMethuen, Massachusetts border.
During the search, Methuen police issued public alerts asking residents to report individuals who appeared out of place or were behaving suspiciously, while emphasizing that there was no ongoing threat to the general public.
Officials noted that the suspect appeared to have employed deliberate countermeasures, including changing plates across jurisdictions and attempting to avoid surveillance cameras and facial recognition systems.
Law enforcement sources further stated that Neves-Valente was originally from Portugal, the same country as Dr. Loureiro. Investigators are examining whether there is any significance to that shared background.
It is believed, though not yet publicly confirmed by authorities, that both men may have attended the same school in Lisbon earlier in their lives.
Additionally, Brown University officials have confirmed that Neves-Valente was previously a Brown student, attending the university from 2000 to 2001.
Records indicate he was enrolled exclusively in physics courses during that time.
The university believes he may have had classes in the same building where the shooting later occurred, though officials have stressed that this information is part of a broader factual review and not indicative of motive.
The Brown University shooting occurred shortly after 4 p.m. on Saturday, when a masked gunman dressed in black entered a lecture hall in the Barus and Holley Science Building and opened fire on students attending a final exam review session.
Two students were killedโMukhammadAziz Umurzokov, 18, of Virginia, and Ella Cook, 19, a sophomore from Alabama. Nine others were wounded, with six remaining hospitalized in stable condition at the time of the last update.
The attack triggered a massive response involving approximately 400 law enforcement officers, who conducted extensive searches of campus buildings and surrounding neighborhoods.
Although a 24-year-old man was briefly detained as a person of interest, forensic testing later cleared him, and he was released.
Separately, authorities in Brookline, Massachusetts, responded Monday night to the home of Dr. Loureiro, an MIT professor, who had been shot and later died from his injuries early Tuesday morning.
While officials initially stated there appeared to be no connection between the two cases, subsequent investigation revealed that both incidents were linked to the same suspect and vehicle.
The FBI, along with state and local agencies, continues to review evidence, digital records, and the suspectโs movements in the days leading up to both attacks.
Officials have emphasized that while the suspect is deceased, the investigation remains active as authorities work to establish motive, timeline, and any additional relevant connections.