CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia National Guard member who was shot last week in a brazen daytime attack in Washington, D.C., remains in serious condition but showed positive signs by giving a thumbs-up that he could hear a nurse’s question and wiggling his toes, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Monday.
Morrisey said the family of 24-year-old U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe has asked the public to pray for him. Another member of the West Virginia National Guard, U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was killed in the shooting.
“Andrew is still fighting for his life,” Morrisey said. “Andrew needs prayers.”
Morrisey said he could not yet share details of any funeral arrangements for Beckstrom and wants to respect her family’s wishes.
Beckstrom and Wolfe were shot Wednesday just blocks from the White House while deployed as part of President Donald Trump’s crime-fighting plan that federalized D.C. police.
Investigators are working to determine a motive. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, is charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of assault in the shooting.
Authorities said Lakanwal, who was shot in the confrontation, remained hospitalized and a court appearance has not yet been scheduled.
The shooting prompted the Trump administration to halt all asylum decisions and pause issuing visas for people traveling on Afghan passports.
After the shooting, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Trump asked him to send 500 more National Guard members to Washington. Morrisey said he has not been asked to deploy additional troops from West Virginia.
Overall, nearly 2,200 troops currently are assigned to the joint task force operating in the city, according to the government’s latest update. More than 300 West Virginia National Guard members were deployed in August. In mid-November, up to 170 of them volunteered to extend their deployment until the end of the year while the others returned to West Virginia.
“Our sole focus right now is looking after the well-being of the 170 service members who are on the ground, focusing on the family, assuring that prayers are going out,” Morrisey said.
Trump paid tribute to Beckstrom and Wolfe on Monday at a Christmas party that an aide said was the first one at the White House this year.
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Associated Press writer Leah Askarinam in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.