Two National Guard members in critical condition after shooting near White House

Two National Guard soldiers were seriously injured in a shooting in Washington, D.C., less than two blocks from the White House, in what the city’s mayor called “targeted shooting.”

A lone suspect opened fire on National Guard members Wednesday afternoon before he was subdued when other National Guard members nearby heard the gunfire, police said.

The attack forced a brief lockdown of the White House and a temporary grounding of flights at the city’s main airport on Thanksgiving eve.

President Donald Trump, who was in Florida at the time of the attack, vowed that the attacker would “pay a very heavy price”. The suspect is reportedly an Afghan national.

Multiple law enforcement sources told the BBC’s US partner CBS the suspect was identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, and said he had entered the US in 2021.

A statement from Joint Task Force DC, which oversees the National Guard deployment in the nation’s capital, said the attack occurred at about 14:15 EST (17:15 GMT) on Wednesday near the Farragut Square subway station.

The troopers were on high-visibility patrol near the corner of 17th and I streets, a busy lunch spot for office workers.

FBI Director Kash Patel – whose agency is leading the investigation – said at a news conference that the soldiers were “openly attacked in a horrific act of violence”.

Assistant Chief of the Metropolitan Police Jeff Carroll said the suspect “came around the corner” and “immediately began firing the gun”.

Other National Guard members nearby heard the gunfire and responded, he said.

“They were actually able to intervene and hold the suspect on the ground after he was shot until law enforcement arrived within moments,” Carroll said.

Law enforcement sources told CBS the suspect was shot four times.

It is not clear what weapon was used in the attack. Nor was any motive immediately clear.

President Trump – who is at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach – vowed to punish the attacker.

“The beast that shot two National Guardsmen left both seriously injured and are now in two different hospitals, but regardless, he will pay a very heavy price,” he wrote on Truth Social.

“God bless our Great National Guard and our entire military and law enforcement,” he said.

US Vice President J.D. Vance, who was addressing troops in Kentucky at the time of the attack, urged “everyone of faith” to pray for the victims.

West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey said in a post on Twitter that both victims were members of his state’s National Guard and died from their injuries.

But he soon posted a second statement citing “conflicting reports” about his condition.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport were briefly grounded after the attack.

The glass of the bus stop was lying scattered on the footpath at the spot.

The intersection was filled with police cars, armed security personnel and National Guard troops.

A witness told the BBC that he heard two shots, followed by three more shots.

People fled in panic, some tried to take shelter in a liquor store.

Another witness who was in his car near the metro station said he also heard gunshots.

He showed the BBC footage he had taken of two soldiers in their uniforms lying on the road as doctors treated them.

A third person was also undergoing treatment on the footpath. The witness said he did not know whether this third person was the alleged gunman or not.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that after the attack the President had asked him to send 500 more National Guard members to Washington, DC.

“This will further strengthen our resolve to ensure that we make Washington DC safe and beautiful,” the Pentagon chief said.

There are currently about 2,200 National Guard troops in Washington, DC.

The force includes the District of Columbia as well as troops from Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, West Virginia, Georgia and Alabama.

They are a reserve force that can be activated to serve as military troops, but their power is limited as they cannot enforce laws or make arrests.

The National Guard was deployed to Washington DC in August to deal with what Trump called “out of control” crime.

Overall crime in the nation’s capital has declined since the force was dispatched, although it is unclear how much of this decline can be attributed to the presence of soldiers on the streets.

Washington DC police figures show 62 homicides (a category that also includes murder) between May 25 and November 25 this year.

This compares with 107 murders recorded in the same period last year.

Around 6,500 crimes have been recorded by police since August 12, down from around 9,500 in the same period in 2024.

Republican Trump has sent the National Guard to Democratic-led US cities including Los Angeles, Chicago and Memphis.

They argue the deployment was needed to combat crime, but opponents challenged the moves legally, accusing the White House of overreach.