THE moment a brave soldier took down a suspected shooter who killed a National Guardsman and hurt another has been captured on pulse-pounding video.
Afghanistan native native Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, is accused of attacking newly sworn-in guardsmen Andrew Wolfe, 24, and Sarah Backstrom, 20, on Wednesday.
In a video obtained by the Wall Street Journal, the suspect, who has been charged with first-degree murder, can be seen darting around a street corner in Washington DC as he allegedly carries out the shooting.
A National Guardsman could be seen running for cover and yelling moments before firing shots.
The clip captures fallen Guard members lying on the ground after they were struck with bullets.
Prosecutors say Lakanwal fired shots at point-blank range at 2:30 pm and hit the two guardsmen before he was taken down by gunfire.
The attack has been described as “targeted” and an “ambush,” and officials say that Lakanwal could be hit with terrorism charges.
Backstrom succumbed to her wounds on Friday, and Wolfe is still in the hospital fighting for his life.
Lakanwal was also shot, but he’s expected to recover from his injuries.
The incident has sparked a fiery immigration debate, as officials say Lakanwal came to the US through Operation Allies Welcome in 2021.
The initiative, which was started under President Joe Biden’s administration, was meant to harbor Afghans who worked with US forces after America’s messy exit from the country.
Lakanwal is one of approximately 76,000 people who have come to the US through the program.
SUSPECT’S HISTORY
Lakanwal was living in Washington state, about an hour and a half north of Seattle, with his wife and five children when he allegedly carried out the attack, his former landlord told the Associated Press.
He had briefly worked as an independent contractor with Amazon Flex, which allows people to deliver packages using their own car, the outlet reported.
However, the immigrant had been struggling to find work in recent months, Mohammad Sherzad, a neighbor of Lakanwal, said.
Sherzad described his neighbor as polite and quiet, and said that he spoke very little English.
They attended the same mosque, and some of his children attended the same church as some of Lakanwal’s children.
About two weeks before the attack, Sherzad said the suspect “disappeared.”
“He was so quiet and the kids were so polite, they were so playful. But we didn’t see anything bad about him. He was looking OK,” Sherzad said.
President Donald Trump has called for a thorough investigation of every Afghan who has come to America, as he feared they weren’t properly vetted.
In a searing statement, Trump called the attacker an “animal” and described the shooting as a “monstrous, ambush-style attack.”
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that Lakanwal had a “relationship in Afghanistan with partner forces” but said they are still investigating the details.
“We are fully investigating that aspect of his background as well, to include any known associates that are either overseas or here in the United States of America,” he said in a press conference on Thursday.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15563960/dc-shooter-national-guard-video-moment-soldier-ambush/
