Have there been notable incidents or investigations involving the DC National Guard's use-of-force since 2020?
Executive summary
Since 2020, reporting in the provided sources highlights a major, widely covered incident in November 2025 when two West Virginia National Guard members on patrol in downtown Washington, D.C., were shot — one later died and the FBI is treating the attack as a major criminal/terrorism investigation [1] [2] [3]. That shooting occurred amid a politically fraught, large-scale National Guard deployment to D.C.; the deployment itself has been the subject of court scrutiny and criticism for alleged overreach [4] [5].
1. A high-profile attack that reframed D.C. Guard operations
On Nov. 26–27, 2025, two National Guard members stationed in Washington — Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe — were shot near Farragut Square, two blocks from the White House; Beckstrom later died and Wolfe was critically injured, prompting a multi‑agency investigation [2] [6] [1]. Authorities, including FBI Director Kash Patel and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, described the shooting as an “ambush-style” attack and said the FBI would lead an investigation that could include terrorism-related inquiries [7] [8] [3].
2. Who the suspect is, and why that matters politically
Officials identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who came to the U.S. during the post‑2021 evacuation program; multiple outlets reported he had previously worked with U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and prosecutors planned criminal charges including assault with intent to kill and weapons offenses [9] [8] [10]. The suspect’s background immediately politicized the case: the White House and administration figures framed it as evidence to re‑examine vetting and migration policies, while local leaders and legal experts warned against conflating an ongoing criminal probe with broader immigration policy debates [11] [5] [12].
3. Use‑of‑force questions at the scene remain contested
Reports say the suspect was wounded during the incident — by gunfire and, according to some accounts, a stabbing by a Guardsman — but officials have not clearly established which agency or individual fired the shots that wounded the attacker [13] [3] [7]. The joint task force’s rules — cited in reporting — say troops may use force only as a last resort in response to imminent threat, and D.C. Guard personnel are limited in law‑enforcement authority, complicating public analysis of who did what during the exchange [5]. Available sources do not fully resolve whether force used by Guard members at the scene complied with those internal rules; investigations are ongoing [7].
4. Deployment context: a large, controversial Guard presence in D.C.
This shooting occurred against the backdrop of an expanded National Guard mission in Washington that had drawn legal and political pushback. A federal judge recently ruled the deployment likely violated D.C.’s governance rights and paused aspects of it; the administration nonetheless ordered thousands of Guard troops into the city and, after the attack, announced 500 more would be sent [4] [5] [10]. Critics in the city argued the federalization and expanded mission risk blurring military and policing roles [5].
5. Competing narratives and the limits of current reporting
National coverage shows clear disagreements: the federal government and some national officials framed the shooting as part of an immigration and national‑security problem tied to Operation Allies Welcome, while local leaders emphasized the human toll and questioned federal decisions to deploy troops for domestic security [1] [14] [5]. Sources note the FBI is conducting a broad investigation but also stress that motives remain unclear and that charges could change depending on the victims’ outcomes [15] [8]. Available sources do not mention outcomes of internal National Guard use‑of‑force after‑action reports or any completed internal disciplinary investigations.
6. What to watch next
Investigative milestones to follow in reporting include: formal charging decisions and any terrorism designations by federal prosecutors; forensic clarity on who shot the suspect and whether that use of force met military and legal standards; and whether courts alter the scope of the D.C. Guard deployment after the recent legal rulings [8] [7] [4]. Public debate will continue to revolve around policing vs. military roles in the capital and how the Guard’s rules of engagement are interpreted in domestic settings [5].
Limitations: this analysis is constrained to the provided reporting; sources consistently report the same November 2025 shooting and its political aftermath but do not provide comprehensive public records of any internal use‑of‑force reviews or final investigatory findings [2] [3].