(MENAFN- Live Mint) Three days after the horrifying shooting near the White House, a striking image captured by CBS shows two West Virginia National Guard members lying on the sidewalk as authorities assist them after they were gunned down by an Afghan national suspect. Both were shot in an ambush attack, with Trump confirming that one of them had died.

CBS News footage showed the two soldiers lying motionless on the ground, surrounded by numerous law enforcement officers, including police and Secret Service agents, amid the chaos.

A nearby bus stop was also struck during the ambush-style attack, scattering shards of glass across the area. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, succumbed to her injuries on Thanksgiving, while Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, remained hospitalised and fighting for his life as of Friday evening.

Beckstrom, a native of Webster Springs, W.Va., was remembered by her loved ones on Friday as the“sweetest girl” with a“heart of gold". Fellow West Virginia native Wolfe, from Martinsville, remained in critical condition on Friday, Gov. Patrick Morrisey stated.

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National Guard soldiers gather near a crime scene after a shooting in downtown Washington, DC, on November 26, 2025.
(AFP)

The two service members were in Washington, DC, as part of President Trump's deployment of troops to cities facing increasing crime.

Also Read | US halts visa issuance for Afghan passport holders, tightens screening

Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal was injured after another National Guard member returned fire, stopping his violent attack. Lakanwal arrived in the US with his family in 2021 after fleeing his war-torn Middle Eastern homeland, where he had served in an elite unit with connections to the CIA.

Federal prosecutors stated that he is facing first-degree murder and related charges, the New York Post report noted. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced plans to pursue the death penalty against him.

Flags across the state are being flown at half-staff to honour Beckstrom's memory.

Also Read | Full list of crackdowns Trump has announced since White House shooting

Jeanine Pirro, US attorney for Washington, DC, stated that additional charges are expected against 29-year-old Lakanwal, who migrated from Afghanistan in 2021 under“Operation Allies Welcome” following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan during Joe Biden's administration.

The Washington Post reported that the upgraded first-degree murder charges, replacing the initial assault charges, increase the likelihood that Lakanwal could face the death penalty.

Trump says he will 'permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries'

Meanwhile, Trump said that he would permanently pause migration from all "third-world countries" to allow the US system to terminate illegal admissions into the United States.

Trump took to Truth Social and said,“I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the US system to fully recover, terminate all of the millions of Biden illegal admissions, including those signed by Sleepy Joe Biden's Autopen, and remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States, or is incapable of loving our Country.”

He added that the US will“end all Federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens of our Country, denaturalise migrants who undermine domestic tranquillity, and deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization”.

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