Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national living in Bellingham, Washington, has been charged with new federal offenses related to the fatal shooting of National Guardsman Sarah Beckstrom and the serious injury of National Guardsman Andrew Wolfe. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
“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,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Sarah 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.”
Lakanwal faces federal counts for transporting a firearm across state lines with intent to commit a felony and for transporting a stolen firearm across state lines. He also remains charged under D.C. law 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.
According to court documents, Lakanwal allegedly drove from Bellingham, Washington, to Washington D.C., carrying a stolen firearm. On November 26 at around 2:13 p.m., he reportedly opened fire near Farragut West Metro Station at 17th and I Streets NW without provocation, striking both Beckstrom and Wolfe in the head. Two nearby National Guard Majors subdued him at the scene.
Investigators recovered a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver reported stolen in Seattle in 2023 at the scene of the incident.
Beckstrom died from her injuries on Thanksgiving Day, November 27. Wolfe remains critically injured.
The investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office along with the Metropolitan Police Department. The prosecution is led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
