Federal prosecutors have moved the case involving the fatal shooting of a National Guard member in Washington, D.C., into federal court, a shift that opens the door for consideration of the death penalty, authorities announced Wednesday.
Per ABC News, the defendant, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national, now faces newly filed federal firearms charges in addition to the local offenses already pending against him, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Prosecutors said the case transfer is intended to allow a full evaluation of whether capital punishment is warranted.
“The transfer of the case to federal court ensures that we can undertake the serious, deliberate, and weighty analysis required to determine if the death penalty is appropriate here,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a statement.
Federal prosecutors have moved the case involving the fatal shooting of a National Guard member in Washington, D.C., into federal court, a shift that opens the door for consideration of the death penalty, authorities announced Wednesday.
Per ABC News, the defendant, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national, now faces newly filed federal firearms charges in addition to the local offenses already pending against him, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Prosecutors said the case transfer is intended to allow a full evaluation of whether capital punishment is warranted.
“The transfer of the case to federal court ensures that we can undertake the serious, deliberate, and weighty analysis required to determine if the death penalty is appropriate here,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a statement.
Lakanwal remains charged under the D.C. Code with first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, and two counts of possessing a firearm during a crime of violence.
He previously pleaded not guilty to those charges in D.C. Superior Court, which does not have the authority to impose the death penalty.
The shooting occurred on Nov. 26 during what prosecutors described as an “ambush-style” attack while two West Virginia National Guard members were on patrol in the nation’s capital.
Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was shot in the head and later died from her injuries. U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, also suffered a gunshot wound to the head and remains critically injured.
Pirro said Wednesday that Wolfe “has a long road ahead in his recovery.”
Investigators recovered a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver at the scene, which authorities said had been reported stolen in Seattle in 2023.
According to a federal complaint filed Tuesday, Lakanwal allegedly acquired the stolen revolver on Nov. 14 from an individual who believed the weapon was being sought for “personal protection while working as a rideshare driver.
” Prosecutors allege that Lakanwal then transported the firearm across state lines as he traveled from Washington state to Washington, D.C., in the days leading up to the attack.
The complaint further alleges that Lakanwal knowingly transported a firearm he had “reasonable cause to believe was stolen” and did so with the intent to commit an offense punishable by more than one year in prison.
In federal court, Lakanwal is now charged with two firearm-related offenses stemming from that alleged interstate transport. Online court records show he has not yet entered a plea to the federal charges.
Law enforcement sources said Lakanwal worked with the CIA during the U.S. war in Afghanistan and entered the United States in 2021. He applied for asylum in 2024 and was granted asylum status in April, according to the sources.
The case continues to be jointly handled by federal and local authorities as prosecutors prepare for proceedings under the expanded jurisdiction.
THE THIRD FORCE
