Slain National Guardsman Wanted to ‘Make a Difference’ During Trump Deployment, Felt the National Guard Should Do More
West Virginia National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, who was deployed to Washington, D.C., expressed frustration about being limited in her ability to take action while on duty. She and Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe were allegedly shot by Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national brought to the U.S. after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, near the White House at the Farragut West Metro Station.Beckstrom died from her injuries the following day. The attack occurred amid a federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department ordered by President Donald Trump. The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia announced that Lakanwal will face first-degree murder charges related to Beckstrom’s death.
West Virginia National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom expressed a desire to “make [a] difference” while deployed to Washington, D.C., her ex-boyfriend told CNN on Friday.
Beckstrom and West Virginia Air National Guard Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe were allegedly shot Wednesday by Rahmanullah Lakanwal roughly a mile from the White House.
Lakanwal, an Afghan national brought into the United States by the Biden administration in the wake of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, allegedly shot the duo with a Smith and Wesson revolver at the Farragut West Metro Station in Washington.
“She was like, ‘People spit towards us, cuss at us, throw things at us, and we can’t do nothing.’ She couldn’t detain nobody. She couldn’t stop them from doing wrong. It was — they told them to call the cops,” Adam Carr told CNN reporter Gabe Cohen what his ex-girlfriend said about the deployment. “She wanted to make a difference. She wanted to extremely. She was happy with it. And she just was also like, ‘Why am I here if I can’t do nothing? Where they limited them so much.’ She’s like, ‘It’s pointless.’ She’s like, ‘I get why we’re here. Crime is bad, but it’s pointless if we can’t do anything.’”
President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of the National Guard to Washington after his Aug. 11 announcement of a federal takeover of the capital city’s Metropolitan Police Department following an attempted carjacking which left Department of Government Efficiency staffer Edward Coristine injured when he intervened to assist a victim.
Beckstrom died Thursday from the wounds inflicted in the attack.
“Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, one of the guardsmen that we’re talking about — highly respected, young, magnificent person, started service in June of 2023, outstanding in every way — she’s just passed away,” Trump said as he called service members for Thanksgiving.
United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced Friday that Lakanwal would face first-degree murder charges due to Beckstrom’s passing.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
