Court orders forced feeding of White House shooting suspect
Judge orders involuntary feeding of detained shooting suspect after July hospitalization.
Event / Conflict
White House Shooting Incident Trial
An Afghan national with humanitarian parole status fatally shot National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and critically wounded Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe in an ambush attack near the White House in November 2025. The suspect has been charged with death penalty-eligible offenses and pleaded not guilty. The case includes ongoing legal proceedings and medical treatment disputes during trial.
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2026-09-01 to 2026-11-07 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 1 Sept, 00:46 UTC
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What happened
Rahmanullah Lakanwal charged with murder in National Guard shooting
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who received humanitarian parole to enter the U.S. in 2021 and resided in Bellingham, Washington, was charged with fatally shooting National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and critically wounding Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe in November 2025. He faces multiple federal charges including first-degree murder, attempted murder, and firearm offenses. Some charges are death penalty-eligible. Lakanwal has pleaded not guilty.
Shooting suspect hospitalized in July due to refusal to eat
Rahmanullah Lakanwal was rushed to a hospital on July 9 on an emergency basis after he began refusing food in June while jailed awaiting trial. He had also occasionally refused to drink water.
Second National Guard member critically wounded in White House area shooting
Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, age 24, was critically wounded in the same November 2025 shooting that killed Sarah Beckstrom. Wolfe was deployed to Washington as part of the law-enforcement surge and was ambushed outside a subway station three blocks from the White House.
Judge orders involuntary feeding of jailed shooting suspect
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta issued an emergency order on Saturday authorizing the forced feeding of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who had refused to eat since June while awaiting trial. The order allows federal Bureau of Prisons medical staff to feed him intravenously or through a medical tube to preserve his life. The order expires October 28 but can be renewed.
National Guard member fatally shot near White House in November 2025
West Virginia National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, age 20, was killed in an ambush-style shooting near the White House in November 2025. She was shot several blocks from the White House outside a subway station while deployed as part of the Trump administration's law-enforcement surge in Washington D.C.
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2 alternative perspectives
Suspect charged with murder in White House area National Guard shooting
Man charged with murder after National Guard member killed, another wounded in White House shooting.