How many National Guard members were shot in Washington, D.C.?
Executive summary
Available reporting from multiple major outlets says two National Guard members were shot near the White House in Washington, D.C., on November 26, 2025; they were described as West Virginia National Guard troops and were reported in critical condition [1] [2] [3]. Early conflicting social posts and a mistaken gubernatorial tweet briefly claimed deaths, but mainstream outlets reported two wounded and a suspect in custody [4] [5] [6].
1. What the mainstream outlets say — two soldiers shot, ambush-style attack
News organizations including Reuters, CNN, The New York Times, NBC News and Fox News consistently report that two National Guard members were shot in a targeted, ambush-style attack near the Farragut West area/White House on November 26, 2025; authorities said the two were critically wounded and the suspected gunman was taken into custody after also being shot [1] [7] [5] [6] [8].
2. Victim identity and origin of the deployment — West Virginia troops on federal mission
Multiple outlets identify the wounded as members of the West Virginia National Guard who had been deployed to Washington as part of a broader 2025 mobilization requested by the White House; reporting notes state contingents from several states were present in D.C. when the attack occurred [2] [9] [3].
3. Confusion and misinformation — premature claim of deaths
A notable example of early misinformation: West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey at one point posted that the two guardsmen had died, a claim later walked back; Deadline documents that the governor’s initial message and subsequent uncertainty contributed to confusion in the immediate aftermath [4]. Mainstream outlets did not confirm fatalities in their reporting cited above [1] [5] [6].
4. Suspect and immigration angle — reporting and political reactions
Several outlets report the suspect was identified as an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in 2021 and had sought asylum earlier; this detail was cited by Department of Homeland Security and repeated widely in coverage. Political figures including the president and the homeland security secretary framed the incident in the context of immigration and border policies; critics and some reporting noted that such framing became politically charged very quickly [7] [10] [11].
5. Legal and policy context — deployment legality and subsequent moves
Coverage places the shooting amid a legal dispute over the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops to U.S. cities in 2025: a federal judge had recently ruled parts of that deployment likely unlawful, and the administration filed emergency motions after the shooting, according to The New York Times [5]. This context shaped immediate political responses and requests for more troops [9] [5].
6. Numbers to rely on — what is most reliably reported
Across Reuters, CNN, NBC, Fox, The Washington Post and other mainstream outlets in the provided set, the single consistent, corroborated number is two National Guard members shot and critically wounded on Nov. 26, 2025 [1] [7] [6] [8] [12]. Claims that the guardsmen were killed appear in social posts and were echoed in an initial gubernatorial tweet that mainstream outlets did not corroborate [4].
7. How reporting evolved — from breaking chaos to vetted facts
Immediate post-event social media and a governor’s tweet amplified unverified claims about fatalities; subsequent reporting by established outlets refined the narrative to two wounded and a suspect in custody, with federal agencies and local officials describing it as a targeted ambush [4] [1] [6]. The Wikipedia entry in the results mirrors press accounts but also records the early erroneous claim that two had been killed before corrections [9] [4].
8. What the sources do not resolve / remaining uncertainties
Available sources do not mention the final medical outcomes for the two soldiers beyond their being in critical condition at the time of reporting, so their eventual status (recovery or death) is not covered in the provided material (not found in current reporting). Also, while many outlets identify the suspect and his background, the sources here do not provide full investigative conclusions or motive determinations at the time of their pieces [7] [6].
9. Takeaway for readers — cautious reliance on vetted outlets
If you are checking the specific numeric answer to “How many National Guard members were shot in Washington, D.C.?” the reliable, corroborated figure in mainstream reporting provided here is two [1] [2] [3]. Be mindful that early social posts and an official tweet created conflicting impressions about fatalities; follow-up from official investigators and later reporting should be consulted for definitive outcomes [4] [5].