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Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, the National Guard member reported to be in critical condition following a shooting in Washington, D.C., that resulted in another guard member's death, is reportedly improving, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced during a news conference on Monday (December 1) via NBC News.
Wolfe, 24, of the West Virginia Air National Guard, was reported to be showing signs of improvement, which included giving thumbs-up responses to a nurse's request, according to Morrisey.
"We were told that he also wiggled his toes," he said. "So we take that as a positive sign."
Wolfe and U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, who died from injuries sustained one day later, were both shot during an incident that took place nearby the White House on Wednesday (November 26) afternoon. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, who was initially charged with three counts of assault with the intent to kill while armed and criminal possession of a weapon, is now facing a first-degree murder charge in relation to the incident, which officials have deemed to be "targeted." Lakanwal, an Afghan national, was also shot during the incident and is also hospitalized, according to authorities.
A relative said that Lakanwal arrived in the United States in September 2021, having previously served 10 years in the Afghan army alongside U.S. Special Forces troops, which included being stationed at a base in Kandahar.
“We were the ones that were targeted by the Taliban in Afghanistan,” a relative said, specifying that he and Lakanwal were supporting U.S. troops, via NBC News.
“I cannot believe it that he might do this,” he added.
Lakanwal came to the U.S. five months after former President Joe Biden announced the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, which resulted in the Taliban reclaiming power in the country. Lakanwal, who grew up in the Khost province, was reportedly living in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children prior to the shooting and worked for Amazon and Amazon Flex when the relative had last spoken to him several months prior.
“I don’t know what happened,” the relative told NBC News. “I need your help to know why this happened.”