Rahmanullah Lakanwal faces charges after one member was killed and one wounded in shooting near White House
A man accused of shooting two national guard troops near the White House pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to murder and assault charges during his first appearance before a judge via video from a hospital bed.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who was also shot, faces charges stemming from the 26 November shooting that killed specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and wounded Staff Sgt Andrew Wolfe, 24. His attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf during a brief court hearing in Washington DC.
Beckstrom and Wolfe were deployed with the West Virginia national guard for Donald Trump’s law-enforcement surge in the country’s capital, which has flooded the city with federal agents and troops since August.
Authorities were investigating a possible motive for what they described as an ambush-style attack.
