Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, allegedly opened fire near the White House on Nov. 23, killing Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and seriously injuring Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe.
Monday’s newly unsealed indictment shows that Lakanwal now faces two new counts of assault with intent to kill due to additional victims, specifically two National Guard majors who immediately responded to the ambush-style shooting.
Those victims, only identified by authorities as R.R. and E.S., subdued the suspect at the scene.
Additionally, Lakanwal faces charges of first-degree premeditated murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, transportation of a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with the intent to commit a felony, and four counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence or dangerous offense.
“We are vigorously pursuing the prosecution of Lakanwal,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for the District of Columbia, said in a statement. “Nothing is off the table, and we will continue to weigh additional charges.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi will ultimately decide whether to seek the death penalty in the case.
Court documents show that Lakanwal allegedly drove his Toyota Prius from his home in Washington state to the nation’s capital.
According to prosecutors, he opened fire on Beckstrom and Wolfe without provocation near the Farragut West Metro Station in Washington, D.C. The pair was deployed with the West Virginia National Guard for President Donald Trump’s law-enforcement surge in the nation’s capital to crack down on crime.
Investigators later recovered a revolver that had been reported stolen in Seattle, Washington, back in 2023.
Lakanwal, an Afghan national and resident of Washington state, was also shot during the confrontation.
He attended his first court appearance virtually from a hospital bed. An interpreter said he was in pain and couldn’t open his eyes.
A court-appointed defense attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
He is due back in court on Jan. 14.
Beckstrom, 20, succumbed to her injuries on Thanksgiving. Wolfe, 24, was shot in the head and critically injured. He continues to recover from his injuries and is expected to survive.
A motive for the shooting is still under investigation.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department.