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In a heart-wrenching social media post, Gary Beckstrom expressed his deep sorrow over the loss of his daughter, U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, who was killed in an ambush shooting near the White House.
On Thanksgiving, Beckstrom shared, “My baby girl has passed to glory. If I don’t talk to you don’t be offended this has been a horrible tragedy.”
The post drew an outpouring of prayers and condolences from the community.
Specialist Beckstrom, a young soldier from West Virginia, was fatally shot alongside her colleague, Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, by Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a migrant from Afghanistan who had entered the U.S. under the Biden administration.
The incident occurred on Wednesday when the two National Guard members, who were in Washington, D.C., as part of “Operation DC Safe and Beautiful” aimed at addressing rising crime, were ambushed in broad daylight.
Both had volunteered to serve on Thanksgiving, allowing others to spend the holiday with their families. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi remarked during a Fox News appearance, “She volunteered to be there on Thanksgiving — working today — she volunteers, as did many of those guardsmen and women so other people could be home with their families.”
“Yet now, their families are in hospital rooms with them while they are fighting for their lives.”
The shooter, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in 2021 after reportedly assisting the CIA against the Taliban. Lakanwal was shot by responding officers and is currently hospitalized in serious condition.
Staff Sgt. Wolfe remains in critical condition and is “fighting for his life” in a local hospital, with no further updates on his status as of Friday.
Charges against Lakanwal have been escalated to first-degree murder following Beckstrom’s death, as confirmed by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. He also faces attempted murder charges related to the attack on Wolfe and additional counts stemming from the shooting.
The FBI is investigating the motive behind the attack, but officials have not yet deemed it terrorism, despite the suspect’s background and the nature of the assault.
In contrast, former President Donald Trump labeled the incident a “terrorist attack,” attributing responsibility to Biden’s immigration policies.
In a late-night Thanksgiving message on Truth Social, Trump announced Beckstrom’s death and Wolfe’s critical condition, pledging to “permanently pause migration from all Third World countries” such as Afghanistan, while also promising to end federal benefits for noncitizens and deport those deemed incompatible with Western values.
