WASHINGTON — A federal grand jury returned a 17-count superseding indictment against Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 30-year-old Afghan national, on charges stemming from the ambush shooting that killed National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and gravely wounded Sgt. Andrew Wolfe near the White House in November, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced.
The new charges involving Beckstrom’s murder are eligible for the imposition of the death penalty. The grand jury also returned special findings that will trigger review by the Department of Justice’s Capital Case Committee to determine whether prosecutors will seek execution.
“Sarah Beckstrom was 20 years old, serving her country in the nation’s capital, when Rahmanullah Lakanwal allegedly drove across the country and executed her in cold blood steps from the White House,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “That is not just a crime, it is a major offense against the United States. We will pursue every penalty the law permits as we seek justice for Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe.”
According to court documents, Lakanwal drove his Toyota Prius from his home in Bellingham, Washington, to the District of Columbia while in possession of a stolen firearm — a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver reported stolen in Seattle in 2023. At approximately 2:13 p.m. on Nov. 26, he opened fire without provocation at 17th and I Streets, NW, near the Farragut West Metro Station, shooting Beckstrom and Wolfe in their heads. Two additional National Guard members nearby were wounded before fellow officers subdued the suspect.
Beckstrom, 20, who served in the West Virginia National Guard, succumbed to her injuries on Thanksgiving. Wolfe, 25, of Martinsburg, W.Va., continues to recover. Lakanwal remains charged under D.C. Code with first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, and two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
Lakanwal was arraigned on the superseding indictment before U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta. FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox and Interim Metropolitan Police Chief Jeffery W. Carroll joined Pirro in announcing the charges. The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department.
The Justice Department’s Capital Case Committee will now review the special findings to decide whether to authorize the death penalty, a process that typically takes several months.