Tributes are pouring in for Sarah Beckstrom, the 20-year-old West Virginia National Guard member who died on Thanksgiving after succumbing to the injuries she obtained as a deployed service member in D.C. the day before. Beckstrom’s colleague, Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, who was also shot near the White House in what officials have called a “targeted” attack, remains in critical condition in hospital after undergoing surgery.
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President Donald Trump announced Beckstrom’s death during a call with service members. “She’s just passed away,” he said of Specialist Beckstrom, who enlisted in the West Virginia National Guard in June 2023. “She’s no longer with us. She’s looking down at us right now.”
Trump went on to say he had spoken to Beckstrom’s parents, relaying that her family is “devastated.” Leaving it open that he may attend Beckstrom’s funeral in West Virginia, the President paid tribute to the slain service member, saying he heard she was “outstanding in every way.”
Local and federal law enforcement officials lined the streets in D.C. on Thursday to show their respects at a procession as Beckstrom’s body was transferred from MedStar Washington Hospital to the medical examiner’s office.
Beckstrom was deployed to D.C. over the summer to serve the nation’s capital as part of Trump’s “Operation D.C. Safe and Beautiful,” which saw the deployment of more than 2,000 National Guard troops as part of Trump’s crime crackdown in, what he referred to as, the “most unsafe city” in the U.S.
Communities gathered in Beckstrom’s home state of West Virginia on Thursday evening to pay their respects. They also shared prayers for Sgt. Wolfe, who Trump said is “fighting for his life.”
At one vigil in Webster Springs, near where Beckstrom attended high school, people laid flowers in her memory.
From Beckstrom’s fellow service members and U.S. lawmakers to her family and friends, here are some of the tributes that have been made to the slain National Guard member:
West Virginia
Gov. Patrick Morrissey of West Virginia led the tributes from his state, remembering Beckstrom as someone who defined “the very best” of her home state’s National Guard.
“Sarah served with courage, extraordinary resolve, and an unwavering sense of duty to her state and to her nation,” said Morrissey. “Today, we honor her bravery and her sacrifice as we mourn the loss of a young woman who gave everything she had in defense of others.”
The West Virginia National Guard also praised Beckstrom’s service and dedication as they paid tribute to their fallen member.
“Spc. Beckstrom, a 2023 graduate of Webster County High School, was a resident of Summersville, West Virginia. She volunteered to serve as part of ‘Operation D.C. Safe and Beautiful,’ helping to ensure the safety and security of our nation’s capital. Her loss is felt profoundly across our One Guard Family and throughout the Mountain State,” read the statement.
The Trump Administration and lawmakers
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth referred to Beckstrom as “an American hero” and asked the nation to “kneel in prayer for her family.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi said America will “never forget [Sarah’s] courage” and vowed there will be “justice.”
FBI director Kash Patel said Beckstrom was a “young soldier and patriot with her entire life ahead of her” and asked the nation to join him in prayer.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he was “deeply saddened” to learn of “heroic” Beckstrom’s death.
“Together we must find a way to better protect those patriots who bravely defend and serve our nation,” he shared.
Beckstrom’s family and friends
Beckstrom was surrounded by her family in her final moments. In the hours before her death, her father, Gary Beckstrom, told the New York Times that he was holding her hand.
“She has a mortal wound. It’s not going to be a recovery,” he is quoted as saying.
The former boyfriend of Beckstrom later joined those paying tribute. Adam Carr, who said he and Beckstrom ended their six-year relationship “on good terms” sometime after she was deployed to D.C., told CNN the fallen National Guard member “would do anything for anyone” and had “a huge heart.”
The aftermath of the D.C. shooting
The shooting in D.C. has swiftly become a touchstone in the Trump Administration’s immigration crackdown efforts. After the Department of Homeland Security identified Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, as the sole suspect in the shooting, the President made a series of steps targeting the entry—and stay—of foreign nationals in the U.S.
During a video address to the nation on Wednesday, Trump called for all Afghan refugees who entered the U.S. under the Biden Administration to be reexamined. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services then swiftly confirmed that all immigration processing for Afghan nationals had been indefinitely paused. On Thursday, just hours after announcing Beckstrom’s death, Trump elevated his immigration scrutiny and said he will “permanently pause migration from all third world countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover.”
Under the President’s direction, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is also overseeing “a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.” It’s understood the countries “of concern” are the 19 countries listed in a June presidential proclamation about “restricting the entry of foreign nationals.”
Trump’s announcements since the D.C. shooting have prompted some—including United Nations representatives—to issue warnings against what they view as collective punishment on certain communities.
Meanwhile, Lakanwal remains in police custody facing various charges, including one for murder. A motive for the shooting has yet to be determined and the FBI has launched a “coast-to-coast” investigation to try and ascertain exactly what led to the assault of the West Virginia National Guard members who were deployed in D.C.