Alleged D.C. National Guard shooter could face death penalty with new charges
Summary
Federal prosecutors have added new charges against Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who is accused of fatally shooting a National Guard member and seriously injuring another in Washington, D.C. These new charges allow the Justice Department to consider seeking the death penalty if he is convicted.Key Facts
- Rahmanullah Lakanwal faces eight new federal charges, including murder of a U.S. officer's assistant and firing a gun during a violent crime causing death.
- A federal grand jury found that Lakanwal intentionally killed Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and tried to kill others.
- The Justice Department’s Capital Case Committee will decide if the death penalty will be sought.
- Lakanwal pleaded not guilty to all charges at his recent court hearing.
- He is also charged with multiple other federal and D.C. law offenses, including attempted murder, assault, and illegal gun possession.
- The shooting happened last November, near the White House, where Beckstrom was killed and Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe was critically injured.
- Beckstrom and Wolfe were part of the West Virginia National Guard on an anti-crime mission in D.C.
- Lakanwal is an Afghan national who came to the U.S. in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a program to evacuate and screen Afghans after the U.S. military left Afghanistan.
- Before coming to the U.S., Lakanwal worked with the U.S. government, including the CIA, and led an Afghan military unit supporting international forces.
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