Two National Guardsmen who were shot in downtown Washington, DC, remain in critical condition, according to Mayor Muriel Bowser and FBI Director Kash Patel.
“To the American public and the world, please send your prayers to those brave warriors who are in critical condition and their families,” Patel said during a news conference.
Bowser described the attack as a “targeted shooting” in a post on X and said the two guardsmen shot were part of the West Virginia National Guard.
A DC police official added during the news conference that the guardsmen were performing “high visibility patrols” before a suspect appeared, “raised his arm with a firearm and discharged at the National Guard”.
One suspect is in custody and “there is no indication” that there is another suspect, said Jeffery Carroll, the executive assistant chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.
The suspect and the two guardsmen are being treated at area hospitals, Carroll added.
Multiple law enforcement officials briefed on the matter later told CNN the FBI believes they’ve identified the suspect.
The officials said the shooter’s initial identification matches a man from Washington state who appears to have immigrated here from Afghanistan in 2021.
The suspect applied for asylum in 2024, and it was granted earlier this year.
Authorities ran the fingerprints of the man in custody and that’s how they got the initial name, one law enforcement official added, noting they are still working on additional confirmation.
Investigators recovered a handgun believed to have been used in the attack on the National Guard members and are working to determine when and how the suspect obtained it, law enforcement officials told CNN.
US law restricts firearms sales to people who aren’t citizens or legal permanent residents and it’s unclear whether the alleged gunman could have legally bought the handgun, the officials said.
Video from the nearby Metro station showed the shooting as it happened, the officials told CNN.
The gunman approached three National Guard members who appeared to not see him until he began shooting, striking one guard member and then another, the officials said.
The gunman then stood over the first victim and appeared to try to fire another round.
That’s when the third guard member returned fire at the alleged shooter, the sources said.
Two law enforcement sources said earlier today the suspect was detained and transported away from the scene on a stretcher.
A source familiar with the investigation earlier told CNN that law enforcement officials are not tracking any other victims of Wednesday’s shooting beyond the two National Guard officers and the suspect.
President Donald Trump called for his government to re-examine Afghan immigrants who entered the US during former President Joe Biden’s administration.
“This heinous assault was an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror,” Trump said in pre-taped remarks from Florida, where he is spending the Thanksgiving holiday.
“We must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden.”
Prior to the news conference, there were conflicting reports about the condition of the guardsman after West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey posted on social media — and later corrected — that the guardsmen were believed to be dead.
The two National Guardsmen engaged in gunfire with the suspected shooter prior to being shot, according to two law enforcement sources.
The sources said the suspect was detained and transported away from the scene on a stretcher.
Earlier, DC Metropolitan Police said on X that the scene is secure and one suspect is in custody.
They advised people to avoid the area.
A woman who was near the scene of the shooting told CNN she heard gunshots and then saw a “bunch of people” administering CPR to people who were on the ground.
Joint Task Force — DC, the National Guard office responsible for organising the Guard mission to Washington, DC, confirmed in a statement that “several” of its members “were involved in a shooting near the Farragut West Metro Station,” adding that it is working with DC police and other “law enforcement agencies.”
Trump was briefed on the shooting and weighed in on the incident on Truth Social.
“The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen … is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price,” the president said in the post.
Trump also asked for 500 more National Guard troops to be deployed to Washington, DC, in response to the shooting, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said.
Vice President JD Vance, during remarks at an event in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, called for prayers for the national guardsmen, who he said were in critical condition at the time.
The shooting is “a sombre reminder that soldiers whether they’re active duty, reserve or National Guard are soldiers are the sword and the shield of the United States of America,” Vance added.
National Guard troops from multiple states have been in Washington, DC, for months as part of Trump’s anti-crime crackdown in the nation’s capital, which has since expanded to other cities across the country.
Trump mobilised the National Guard in August and the troops were authorised to conduct law enforcement activities.
CNN reported last month that National Guard troops will remain mobilised in the city at least through February.
However, last week a federal judge halted the mobilisation of the National Guard in Washington, DC, ruling that Trump and the Defence Department illegally deployed the troops.
In her ruling, the judge said there were “more than 2000 National Guard troops” every day in the city.
The judge did not immediately order the National Guard to leave the city, allowing the Trump administration some time to file an appeal.
The administration earlier asked a federal appeals court for an emergency stay of the judge’s order to remove the National Guard from Washington, DC.
– reported with Reuters
