Dec. 24 (UPI) — The man accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members near the White House has been given federal charges, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, of Bellingham, Wash., is a citizen of Afghanistan. He pleaded not guilty in a Washington, D.C., court on Dec. 2. He is accused of killing Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and shooting Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, who were patrolling on foot near the White House when they were shot on Nov. 26.
Lakanwal was charged Wednesday in U.S. District Court with federal charges for the shooting, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced.
“The 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,” Pirro said in a statement.
Lakanwal was charged with transporting a firearm in interstate commerce with the intent to commit an offense punishable by imprisonment for more than one year, and transporting a stolen firearm in interstate commerce.
Lakanwal is also still charged 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 in D.C. Superior Court.
According to court documents, Lakanwal allegedly drove his Toyota Prius from Bellingham to the District of Columbia with a stolen firearm, a press release said. At about 2:13 p.m. Nov. 26, Lakanwal fired at 17th and I Streets near the Farragut West Metro Station, shooting Beckstrom and Wolfe in their heads. Two National Guard majors nearby subdued the suspect.
Beckstrom died in a hospital on Nov. 27.
Investigators recovered a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver at the scene that had been reported stolen in Seattle in 2023.
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