Two National Guardsmen in Critical Condition After Targeted Shooting Near White House; Suspect Injured and in Custody
Two members of the United States National Guard are hospitalized and listed in critical condition following a shooting that occurred on Wednesday afternoon just two blocks from the White House complex in downtown Washington, D.C. The incident, which took place near the intersection of 17th and I Streets NW, involved the two Guardsmen who were reportedly conducting high-visibility patrols in the area as part of the ongoing deployment of military personnel to the nation’s capital. Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and other officials confirmed during a late press conference that the attack appears to have been a “targeted shooting” aimed specifically at the service members.
Metropolitan Police Department, or MPD, Assistant Chief Jeffery Carroll stated that the suspect “came around the corner” and opened fire on the two Guardsmen at approximately 2:15 PM local time. The suspect was subsequently detained by other members of the National Guard at the scene. All three individuals—the two injured Guardsmen and the suspect—were transported to local hospitals for treatment. Authorities confirmed that the suspect was also wounded during the interaction, but details regarding the severity of their injuries were not immediately released, though initial reports suggested the injuries were not life-threatening. The FBI is engaged and assisting the MPD, treating the incident as an “assault on an officer” and a matter of national security.
The two wounded service members are reportedly members of the West Virginia National Guard contingent deployed to Washington. West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey initially stated via social media that both service members had died from their injuries, but he later retracted the statement, citing “conflicting reports” about their medical condition. In response to the attack, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that President Donald Trump requested the deployment of an additional five hundred National Guard troops to Washington D.C., a decision that comes despite a recent federal court ruling deeming the current deployment likely illegal, though that ruling has been temporarily stayed.
