A man accused of fatally shooting a National Guard member and wounding another in an ambush near the White House has been taken to hospital after refusing to eat while in pretrial detention, prompting federal prosecutors to seek emergency access to his medical records.
Lakanwal is accused of shooting two National Guard members on Nov. 26, 2025. One of the victims, Sarah Beckstrom, died from her injuries. The second guardsman, Andrew Wolfe, survived after suffering serious injuries. Both victims were from the West Virginia National Guard.
According to a court filing, Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 30, was transferred to a hospital shortly before midnight on July 9 for treatment.
Prosecutors said it was “necessary to preserve his life” after months of concerns about his deteriorating health.
In an application filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, prosecutors asked Judge Amit P. Mehta to order medical providers to immediately release records documenting Lakanwal’s treatment beginning July 8 and continuing throughout his hospitalization.
Federal prosecutors said they first learned in June that the U.S. Marshals Service had become concerned about Lakanwal’s physical condition based on his “refusal to consume adequate nutrition.”
According to the filing, the refusal resulted in “physical and physiological changes” that placed him at risk of “long-term health consequences, including a potential risk of death.”
Prosecutors said they were unable to review Lakanwal’s medical records because of an existing protective order that barred disclosure. They said they learned of the order on June 16 but had never seen it and had received only limited summaries of his medical condition.
The filing says that prosecutors were informed on the morning of July 9 that Lakanwal had been transferred to a hospital overnight on an emergency basis for treatment.
The government requested an emergency hearing before the court, which was held later that day.
During the hearing, Mehta concluded that prosecutors should receive access to medical records covering the period beginning July 8, as well as direct access to Lakanwal’s medical providers so they could obtain health and diagnostic information relevant to the case.
The government also asked the court to allow continued access to Lakanwal’s medical records while he remains hospitalized.
Prosecutors said they need the records to handle legal issues related to the U.S. Marshals Service’s ongoing responsibility to provide medical care to detainees.
The Epoch Times reached out to Lakanwal’s legal representatives for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.
Murder, Firearms Charges
Jeanine Pirro, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said last month that prosecutors would pursue “every penalty the law permits as we seek justice for Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe.”
“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,” Pirro said on June 16. “That is not just a crime, it is a major offense against the United States.”
Last month, Lakanwal was arraigned on 17 counts, including first-degree murder, in a new indictment handed up by a federal grand jury in Washington that makes him eligible for a possible death sentence if he is convicted.
He originally pleaded not guilty to nine charges contained in an indictment filed in January.
Lakanwal, who was shot during the confrontation, was seated in a wheelchair during his arraignment in June. He didn’t speak during the hearing; one of his attorneys entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf.
He is due back in court on Sept. 16. A trial date for his case hasn’t been scheduled yet.
Lakanwal previously served in a CIA-backed paramilitary force that fought the Taliban before being evacuated to the United States under Operation Allies Welcome following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
His immigration history has drawn renewed political attention since the shooting.
Trump administration officials have questioned whether Lakanwal received adequate security screening before entering the United States. During congressional testimony in December 2025, National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent said that, of the approximately 88,000 Afghans evacuated under the resettlement program, at least 2,000 were believed to have suspected terrorist ties.
Federal authorities have not publicly alleged that the shooting itself was connected to terrorism.
The criminal case remains pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, while prosecutors continue to pursue access to Lakanwal’s medical records as he receives treatment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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