WASHINGTON, D.C. (LOOTPRESS) – President Donald Trump on Thursday addressed whether he will attend the funeral of Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old West Virginia National Guard member who was fatally shot while on duty in Washington, D.C.
Beckstrom and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, were ambushed near Farragut Square, just blocks from the White House, while deployed as part of Trump’s initiative to take over law enforcement operations in the capital. Wolfe remains in critical condition.
Asked if he intends to attend Beckstrom’s funeral, Trump said he “hadn’t given it any thought, but it sounds like something I could do.”
Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago resort, he added, “I love West Virginia. You know, I won West Virginia by one of the biggest margins of any president anywhere. These are great people. I love the people of West Virginia.”
Beckstrom had been hospitalized in critical condition following the shooting.
Before she died, her father, Gary Beckstrom, told a New York Times reporter, “I’m holding her hand right now. She has a mortal wound. It’s not going to be a recovery.”
Trump said Thursday he had been informed that Beckstrom had succumbed to her injuries, calling her a “highly respected, young, magnificent person” who was “outstanding in every way.”
Authorities arrested a suspect at the scene, identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who previously served in an anti-Taliban paramilitary unit supported by the CIA.
Lakanwal entered the U.S. in 2021 under a Biden-era program for Afghans fleeing the Taliban and was granted asylum by the Trump administration in April.
Officials allege Lakanwal drove from Washington State to carry out the shooting, according to The New York Times. A motive has not yet been released.
