National Guard member dies after shooting in Washington DC

One of the two members of the National Guard that were shot in Washington DC on Wednesday has died, US President Donald Trump said.

Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died from her injuries, President Trump said on Thursday.

The second National Guard member that was shot is 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe. He remains in critical condition, officials said on Thursday morning.

Both were shot at close range near Farragut Square in downtown just after 14:00 EST (19:00 GMT) on Wednesday. Police arrested one suspect in the shooting, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old from Afghanistan.

President Trump confirmed Ms Beckstrom's death while on a Thanksgiving call with US service members on Thursday evening.

"Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, one of the guardsmen that we're talking about, highly respected, young, magnificent person ... She's just passed away. She's no longer with us," he said.

Trump added that Mr Wolfe, the other National Guard member who was shot, "is fighting for his life".

Ms Beckstrom had volunteered to work in the nation's capital over the Thanksgiving holiday, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News after the shooting.

Jim Justice, a Republican senator from West Virginia, said he was "absolutely devastated" to learn of Ms Beckstrom's passing.

"Our prayers are with her family, friends, and fellow guardsmen during an incredibly difficult Thanksgiving Day," he said in a statement.

"We are also lifting up Andrew Wolfe in prayer as he continues his journey to recovery."

Both soldiers had been on a high-visibility patrol near the corner of 17th and I streets, an area where many office workers mill around at lunchtime.

The location of the shooting, just blocks from the White House, meant a number of law enforcement officials were quickly on the scene to treat the two victims and apprehend the gunman.

The suspect was shot four times while he was apprehended, law enforcement sources told CBS News, the BBC's US news partner.

Officials said Mr Lakanwal came to the US in 2021.

He will be charged with three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed as well as possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said on Thursday morning at a news conference, before news of Ms Beckstrom's death.

"We are praying that they survive and that the highest charge will not have to be murder in the first degree," Pirro added. "But make no mistake, if they do not, that will certainly be the charge: murder in the first degree."

Attorney General Bondi told Fox News on Thursday that her office will seek the death penalty against the suspect, calling him a "monster who should not have been in our country".

Mr Lakanwal reportedly came to the US under a programme for Afghans named Operation Allies Welcome that offered special immigration protections to Afghans in the wake of America's withdrawal from Afghanistan.

He had a relationship in Afghanistan with the US forces, FBI Director Kash Patel said on Thursday. CIA Director John Ratcliffe said he worked with the intelligence agency.

Mr Lakanwal applied for asylum in 2024, and his application had been granted earlier this year, an official told CBS.