{"id":2614739,"date":"2026-06-16T17:00:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T21:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/man-accused-of-shooting-national-guardsmen-pleads-not-guilty\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T17:01:37","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T21:01:37","slug":"man-accused-of-shooting-national-guardsmen-pleads-not-guilty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/man-accused-of-shooting-national-guardsmen-pleads-not-guilty\/","title":{"rendered":"Man accused of shooting National Guardsmen pleads not guilty"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fman-accused-of-shooting-national-guardsmen-pleads-not-guilty%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2614739&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, has pleaded not guilty to a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >17-count federal indictment related<\/a> to an attack near the White House on November 26, 2025.He is accused of shooting and killing Army National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and seriously injuring U.S. Air force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, both of whom were assisting federal officers. Lakanwal allegedly drove a stolen Toyota Prius from washington state to D.C., where he opened fire without provocation near Farragut Square, hitting the victims in the head. Two nearby National Guard majors intervened and subdued him. He <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/1-dead-several-injured-after-car-strikes-crowd-in-texas\/\" title=\"1 dead, several injured after car strikes crowd in Texas\">faces multiple charges<\/a>, including murder, attempted murder, firearm offenses, and transport of stolen firearms, with some charges carrying the potential for the death penalty, though prosecutors have not decided whether to seek it. His case was transferred to the District Court to determine the appropriateness of capital punishment. The next court hearing is scheduled for september 16.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who was accused of targeting and shooting<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/national-guard\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1956\"> National Guard<\/a> troops in downtown <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/washington-dc\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"260\">Washington, D.C.<\/a>, pleaded not guilty to all charges in the 17-count federal indictment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lakanwal, an Afghan national, is accused of fatally shooting\u00a0West Virginia Army National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and critically wounding U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe in an attack just blocks away from the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/news\/white-house\/\" type=\"category\" id=\"125\">White House<\/a> on Nov. 26, 2025.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4611386\/rahmanullah-lakanwal-accused-shooting-national-guardsmen-pleads-not-guilty\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Man accused of shooting National Guard members in DC pleads not guilty<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4610394\/nra-sues-michigan-license-requirement-purchase-guns\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>NRA sues Michigan over license requirement to purchase guns<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4610674\/mike-dewine-capital-punishment-ohio-death-penalty\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Mike DeWine reverses position on capital punishment: \u2018Abolish the death penalty\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lakanwal, 29, pleaded not guilty to eight new federal charges: Murder of a person assisting a federal officer, three counts of attempted murder of a person assisting a federal officer, discharge of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-judge-pleads-not-guilty-to-gunning-down-wife-in-anaheim\/\" title=\"California judge denies ... wife in Anaheim.\">firearm causing death<\/a>, and three counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Six of the new counts carry the possibility of the death penalty if he is convicted, though Department of Justice attorneys have not said whether they will seek capital punishment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He was separately charged with transporting a firearm in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony and transporting a stolen firearm across state lines.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lakanwal remains charged under the D.C. Code with first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, and two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. He had previously pleaded not guilty to an earlier set of nine charges, including first-degree murder and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-announces-new-date-location-for-white-house-correspondents-dinner-and-its-a-hotel-his-company-used-to-operate\/\" title=\"Trump Announces New Date, Location for ... Correspondents&#039; Dinner, and It&#039;s a Hotel His Company Used to Operate\">related weapons offenses<\/a> in December. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe transfer of this case from Superior Court to District Court ensures that we can undertake the serious, deliberate, and weighty analysis required to determine if the death penalty is appropriate here,\u201d U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-dc\/pr\/suspect-killing-national-guardsman-sarah-beckstrom-charged-complaint-new-federal-counts\">said<\/a> in December. \u201cSarah Beckstrom was just 20 years old when she was killed and her parents are now forced to endure the holiday season without their daughter. Andrew Wolfe, by the grace of God, survived but has a long road ahead in his recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4609605\/eleanor-holmes-norton-replacement-dc-primary\/\"><strong>WHO MIGHT REPLACE ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON AS DC VOTERS CHOOSE A YOUNGER, MORE COMBATIVE DELEGATE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lakanwal allegedly drove a Toyota Prius from Bellingham, Washington, to Washington, D.C., while in possession of a stolen firearm. Prosecutors say that on Nov. 26 at about 2:13 p.m., he opened fire without provocation at 17th and I Streets NW, near Farragut Square, striking Beckstrom and Wolfe in the head. Two Army National Guard majors who were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/homeless-man-arrested-in-attack-on-woman-in-long-beach\/\" title=\"Homeless man apprehended for assaulting woman in Long Beach.\">nearby intervened<\/a> and subdued him at the scene.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next status hearing is scheduled for Sept. 16.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This is a breaking news story and has been updated.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lakanwal pleads not guilty to D.C. National Guard shooting charges<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4195,"featured_media":2614740,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26035596794841.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[32417,50403,51050,81260,4300],"class_list":["post-2614739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-court-case","tag-crime-2","tag-law-enforcement-2","tag-national-guards","tag-shooting"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26035596794841.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2614739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4195"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2614739"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2614739\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2614743,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2614739\/revisions\/2614743"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2614740"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2614739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2614739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2614739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}