Martinsburg, West Virginia
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On a day when many families across the country gather for Thanksgiving, the family of a National Guard member is mourning his death after an ambush shooting in Washington, D.C., while his colleague fights for his life while their West Virginia community prays.
“He just passed away,” President Donald Trump said of U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, in a statement of thanks to service members. “She’s not with us anymore. She’s looking down on us right now.”
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, was also injured in Wednesday’s shooting and remains hospitalized in critical condition after surgery.
“Please keep my son in your prayers,” Wolfe’s father, Jason Wolfe, told CNN.
His son is “a great guy” and “he’s a fighter,” he shared.
National Guard members were two of the thousands who responded to the nation’s capital in August as part of Trump’s increased federal law enforcement presence in the area.
Here’s what we know about the two National Guard members:
Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was one of two members of the West Virginia National Guard who were shot in Washington, DC, on November 26, 2025.” class=”image_medium__dam-img image_medium__dam-img–loading” onload=”this.classList.remove(‘image_medium__dam-img–loading’)” onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”605″ width=”432″ loading=”lazy”/>
Hoping that others could spend Thanksgiving at home, Beckstrom volunteered to work in DC over the holiday.
“Like many of those guardsmen and women, they volunteered so others could stay home with their families, yet now their families are in hospital rooms with them while they fight for their lives,” Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News on Thursday.
Beckstrom, of Summersville, West Virginia, first entered service June 26, 2023, and is assigned to the 863rd Military Police Company, 111th Engineer Brigade, West Virginia Army National Guard.
According to Webster County High School in Upperglade, where he graduated in 2023, even before joining the Army, he “has always demonstrated the strength, character and commitment that makes our school and community proud.”
Her father was next to her on Thanksgiving, confronting him about the gravity of his daughter’s condition. Before dying, according to The New York Times.
“I’m holding her hand right now,” Gary Beckstrom told the Times by phone.
Adam Carr, who said he dated Beckstrom for six years, called her a “loving, caring person” who “had a huge heart.” They broke up while living in Washington, D.C., and separated about a month ago, she said.
“She would wake up with me when I went to work in the morning,” Carr told CNN. “She would make me lunch before I left, because I never really wanted it and I didn’t care, but she did it. Every time I came home she was waiting for me, she would be so excited at the door to give me a hug when I walked in.”
He added, “No matter what I was doing, she was always there for me.”
Beckstrom hoped to one day join the ranks of the FBI and saw the National Guard as a path to that goal, Carr said. She was originally afraid to move to DC, she said, but actually ended up liking it there, even volunteering to stay longer.
“I loved her very much,” he said. “She never deserved any of this. I always wished the best for her.”
A vigil for the two National Guard members was held Thursday in Webster Springs, West Virginia, where a woman spoke about meeting Beckstrom in a nursing class.
“I mean, I don’t know a single person here or anywhere who is as nice or caring as he is,” the woman said. “She really made everyone happy.”
During Beckstrom’s dignified transfer, local and federal law enforcement crowded the streets in Washington, D.C., Thursday night in a procession honoring the remains of a fallen service member.
Andrew Wolfe
Michael Langone told CNN on Thursday that Wolfe was the kind of friend and neighbor who would give his shirt to anyone in need.
Langone, who lived in the apartment next door to Wolfe’s in Martinsburg, West Virginia, described Him As a “great guy, great neighbor”.
“I just hope his family is OK with this,” Langone said. “They’ve always been good to us, and we’ve always taken care of each other, and it’s about being a good neighbor.”
Wolfe has been a member of the West Virginia National Guard since February 5, 2019, and is assigned to the Force Support Squadron, 167th Airlift Wing.
In his hometown of Martinsburg, neighbors and a former classmate were stunned by news of the shooting.
“It spread so fast,” he said Tara Newcomb, who went to school with Wolfe and was a few years behind him.
“A lot of people loved and knew him. I hope he’s OK,” Newcomb said.
Tina Gaisford, another neighbor of Wolfe’s, said he was friendly, a “sweet kid” and a “hard worker.” She often sees him going to work or commuting wearing his West Virginia National Guard uniform.
The shootings came as a shock, he said.
“It scares people,” Gaisford said. “DC is crazy right now. So it’s scary to think that one of our guys is injured out there.”
CNN’s Gabe Cohen and Nikki Robertson reported from Martinsburg, West Virginia; Nichelle Terry Ellis wrote and reported from Atlanta. CNN’s David Brooks, Chris Boyett, Alejandra Jaramillo And Kanita Iyer contributed to this report.
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