A West Virginia National Guard member wounded in last week’s shooting in Washington is slowly healing, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Friday. Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe’s head injury is improving and he is “beginning to look more like himself,” the governor said in a statement that quoted Wolfe’s parents.
Why It Matters
Wolfe and Spc. Sarah Beckstrom were ambushed Nov. 26 as they patrolled a subway station three blocks from the White House. Beckstrom died the following day. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who was also shot during the encounter, has been charged with murder and has pleaded not guilty.
What To Know
Morrissey asked West Virginians and others to continue praying for Wolfe, and noted that a vigil was planned Friday night at Wolfe’s alma mater, Musselman High School in Berkeley County.
Wolfe, 24, of Martinsburg, about 75 miles northwest of Washington, serves with the Force Support Squadron, 167th Airlift Wing of the West Virginia Air National Guard. Frontier Communications said he has worked for the company as a lineman since early 2023. Wolfe joined the Guard in 2019, the same year he graduated from Musselman High, where Principal Alicia Riggleman described him as an engaged, high-achieving student “who embodied the Applemen spirit.”
Wolfe and Beckstrom were among more than 2,000 troops deployed to the nation’s capital as part of President Donald Trump’s crime-fighting initiative, which included taking control of the local police department.
On Thursday, Trump shared on Truth Social a photo of Wolfe’s family standing around him as he sat as his desk in the Oval Office.
What People Are Saying
President Trump said in Thursday’s post, “The great family of Andrew Wolfe — Our wonderful National Guardsman who was badly injured protecting the Capital of the United States of America. He is in the process of healing. His parents, brother, and all of his friends are praying. I just met them in the Oval Office — They are fantastic American Patriots!”
Speaking on Fox News Tuesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi said surgeons at the hospital treating Wolfe called him a “miracle.” She added: “They rarely get to deliver news like this. We believe he is going to live. He has a long road.”
What Happens Next
Wolfe’s family expects he will remain in acute care for two to three more weeks, Morrisey said
Updates: 12/5/25, 7:55 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
