Two National Guardsmen Sh0t Near White House As Police Arrest Suspect, Lock Down Area
Two National Guardsmen Shot Near White House As Police Arrest Suspect, Lock Down Area
The victims, a male and female Guardsman, were shot near the entrance of the Farragut West Metro station at about 2:20 p.m. ET, according to senior law enforcement officials. Both remained in critical condition as of press time.
Two members of the National Guard were critically wounded on Wednesday after a shooting erupted just blocks from the White House, plunging parts of downtown Washington, D.C., into lockdown.
The victims, a male and female Guardsman, were shot near the entrance of the Farragut West Metro station at about 2:20 p.m. ET, according to senior law enforcement officials. Both remained in critical condition as of press time.
ABC news report that the Metropolitan Police Department said one suspect has been arrested, and the scene has been secured following a rapid joint response from multiple agencies, including the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the FBI.
The White House was immediately placed on lockdown as a precaution.
President Donald Trump, who is spending Thanksgiving at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, was briefed on the situation, according to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
“The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen, with both being critically wounded, and now in two separate hospitals, is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price,” Trump wrote on his social media platform on Wednesday afternoon.
“God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement. These are truly Great People. I, as President of the United States, and everyone associated with the Office of the Presidency, am with you!”
Meanwhile, the National Guard was deployed to the nation’s capital as part of President Trump’s federal takeover of the city in August. According to the most recent update, there are 2,188 Guard personnel assigned to D.C.
“Please join me in praying for the two National Guardsmen who were just shot moments ago in Washington D.C. [Department of Homeland Security] is working with local law enforcement to gather more information,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement.
