On the 26th, one day before the Thanksgiving holiday, the biggest U.S. holiday, a shooting near the White House in Washington, D.C., left two National Guard soldiers in critical condition.
The tragedy came about three months after President Donald Trump deployed a large number of troops to the capital under the banner of "law-and-order." The White House was immediately locked down, and Trump, who was in Florida for the holiday, was enraged.
According to foreign media including Reuters and the AP, the shooting occurred in broad daylight in the middle of downtown. The scene was in the heart of Washington, D.C., just two blocks from the White House.
A witness passing nearby told Reuters, "I heard two loud blasts and saw pedestrians, including young children, screaming and running away." Another witness noted, "Right after the gunshots, National Guard soldiers were down, and citizens were attempting CPR," describing the tense moment.
The injured soldiers were confirmed to be members of the West Virginia National Guard. Initially, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey said on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that "two soldiers are in critical condition." The suspect was subdued at the scene by soldiers and police who returned fire. The suspect also suffered a gunshot wound and was taken to a hospital, but the injuries were said to be non-life-threatening.
Trump, who was spending the holiday at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, immediately referred to the suspect as an "animal" on the social media platform Truth Social and warned, "He will pay a very steep price." He added, "May God bless our great National Guard and law enforcement." Vice President J.D. Vance also urged during a visit to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, "All people of faith, please pray for the soldiers."
The incident occurred after the Trump administration abruptly deployed about 2,200 National Guard members to Washington, D.C., in Aug., citing reasons such as cracking down on immigrant crime. At the time, President Trump issued an emergency order to push through the troop deployment despite opposition from Democratic local government leaders. Mayor Bowser and others pursued legal action, saying the federal measures infringed on home rule, and a federal court recently granted part of the city's request for an injunction.
In U.S. political circles, the incident is showing signs of spilling into debates over gun control and deploying troops for public safety. California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said, "Violence against those in uniform is horrific and unacceptable," while also urging fundamental solutions to the violence.
Investigators are leaning toward the possibility that this was a targeted shooting aimed at soldiers. The motive remains unclear. Investigators were said to have obtained CCTV footage showing the suspect approaching the soldiers and drawing a firearm. As a result of the incident, security across the capital region was significantly tightened, including a temporary halt to flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he would deploy an additional 500 troops at President Trump's direction.