U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 27th (local time) that one of the two soldiers who were shot while performing a peacekeeping mission in Washington, D.C., on the 26th died of injuries.
According to major foreign media including CBS and Fox, on the 27th President Trump said National Guard soldier Sarah Beckstrom (20), who was shot the previous day, had died. In an announcement that day, Trump said, "Beckstrom just passed away," and mourned, saying "she was a highly respected, magnificent person." He then ordered that Beckstrom's funeral be held with the highest honors.
The deceased Beckstrom was from West Virginia and was recently deployed to the capital under the president's special plan to ease public safety concerns in Washington, D.C. Since taking office, Trump has labeled crime rates in some U.S. cities as "unacceptable" and has pursued a hard-line policy of deploying the National Guard as part of a crackdown.
Another National Guard soldier, Andrew Wolfe (24), who was shot along with Beckstrom at the time of the incident, is reportedly in critical condition. Medical staff said, "The injuries are severe, making the prognosis difficult to predict."
The suspect who opened fire was identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal (29), an Afghan national. He also was injured at the scene by return fire and was transported to a hospital. Lakanwal is currently reported to be in life-threatening "serious condition." U.S. investigators plan to press him on the specific motive and whether there were any backers as soon as he regains consciousness. In particular, given that the suspect is Afghan, investigators are focusing on whether there was a terrorism angle or a specific political purpose.
Experts are watching how this incident might affect Trump's pursuit of strong law enforcement. Trump has typically viewed challenges to public authority as actions that shake the nation's foundations. The prevailing view is that, with this loss, he is likely to tighten the reins on crime-suppression operations. Sky News in the U.K. analyzed, "Because the casualties occurred during the execution of the president's core policy, the political implications are significant."
Washington, D.C., police authorities have greatly reinforced security around the scene in case of additional attacks. More armed personnel than usual are deployed around the White House and the Capitol, enforcing tight security.
Across the United States, a wave of mourning is rising for Beckstrom, who answered the call of the nation at age 20 and was shot. At the same time, as the fact that the shooting was committed by a foreign national suspect became known, debate over immigration policy and border security appears set to flare up again.