Two members of the National Guard were shot in a shooting near the White House in downtown Washington. The soldiers were injured in the attack. The governor of West Virginia initially announced that the two were dead, but later said he had received"conflicting reports." The two soldiers "are in critical condition," FBI Director Kash Patel said at a press conference. A suspect has been arrested.
“The animal that shot the two National Guard members, both seriously injured and now hospitalized in separate hospitals, is also seriously injured, but despite everything, he will pay a very high price,” Donald Trump wrote on Truth. “God bless our Great National Guard and all our military and law enforcement. They are truly extraordinary people. I stand with you!” he added. President Trump is at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for Thanksgiving and has been informed. He has also requested that an additional 500 National Guard troops be deployed to Washington, DC.
The shooting shocked the United States on the eve of Thanksgiving, the most important holiday for Americans. It occurred two blocks from the White House, in an area crowded with local and international tourists, especially these days. The man opened fire around 3:00 PM local time (9:00 PM Italian time), hitting two National Guard soldiers, the force deployed by Donald Trump to fight crime in the city. They later died in hospital.
The circumstances of the shooting are still unclear."We still don't know the motive. There's a lot we don't understand," Vice President JD Vance said. The two soldiers"opened fire" at the attacker before being shot, CNN reported. The arrested man apparently approached the guards, aiming at them, and first shot one of the officers, who was standing a few meters away. CNN cited three law enforcement sources. One of the sources later claimed that the suspect subsequently shot the other guard who was trying to hide behind a bus shelter. Immediately after the attack, the White House was placed under lockdown. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) briefly suspended all flights to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
An estimated 2,375 National Guard members are deployed throughout Washington, D.C., where they have been deployed since August, when the Trump Administration declared a state of “crime emergency” in the city and ordered their deployment to support federal and local law enforcement. The deployment has been extended several times and is currently scheduled to last until February of next year. A federal judge recently declared the deployment unlawful but stayed the ruling for 21 days, leaving the National Guard on active duty while the administration decides whether to appeal.
