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TWO West Virginia National Guard members deployed to Washington were shot and critically wounded on Wednesday only streets away from the White House, in what city officials have denounced as a calculated and shocking attack in the heart of the US capital.
AP cited Mayor Muriel Bowser saying on Thursday, “This was a targeted shooting,” as she and FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the two troops were in critical condition in hospital.
The shooting, which unfolded near a metro station two blocks north-west of the White House, comes amid months of bitter national debate over the Trump administration’s deployment of thousands of Guard personnel to cities across the United States in response to what officials describe as spiralling crime.
The presence of troops in civilian areas has prompted legal challenges and political recriminations, most recently a federal court order demanding an end to the deployment – an order now paused for 21 days.
Jeffrey Carroll, executive assistant chief of Washington’s Metropolitan Police, said investigators had yet to determine a motive. He reported that video footage appeared to show the assailant who “came around the corner and immediately started firing at the troops”.
According to Carroll, the gunman was swiftly subdued after other nearby troops sprinted towards the gunfire. At least one Guard member exchanged shots with the attacker.
“It appears to be a lone gunman that raised a firearm and ambushed these members of the National Guard,” he said, adding that investigators had “no other suspects”.
A suspect, who had also been shot, was taken into custody with injuries not believed to be life-threatening, according to a law enforcement official speaking anonymously to the Associated Press.
The confusion of the immediate aftermath even reached West Virginia’s governor, Patrick Morrisey, who initially announced that the troops had died before later retracting the statement, citing “conflicting reports”.
The Trump administration responded within hours, ordering an additional 500 National Guard personnel to Washington.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said President Donald Trump personally directed the reinforcement.
Nearly 2,200 troops were already assigned to the city’s joint task force before the attack.
Eyewitness accounts described panic and devastation. Stacy Walters, in a car nearby, heard two gunshots before seeing crowds fleeing.
“It’s such a beautiful day. Who would do this? And we’re getting ready for the holidays?” she said.
Emma McDonald, who had just exited the metro, took shelter in a café and later saw first responders transporting a wounded Guard member whose “head was covered in blood”.
On social media, Trump vowed retribution, writing that the “animal” responsible “will pay a very steep price”.
He added: “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!”
Vice President JD Vance, addressing troops at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, urged “everybody who’s a person of faith” to pray for the wounded soldiers.
“I think it’s a somber reminder that soldiers, whether they’re active duty, reserve or National Guard, our soldiers are the sword and the shield of the United States of America,” he said.
More than 300 West Virginia Guard members were sent to Washington in August.
While many recently returned home, around 160 volunteered to extend their deployment to the end of the year. Guard units have been patrolling neighbourhoods, transport hubs and major events, as well as staffing checkpoints and even assisting with municipal tasks such as rubbish collection.
As night fell, police tape sealed off a broad swathe of the shooting scene. Helicopters hovered low over the National Mall as Secret Service agents, ATF personnel and National Guard troops stood watch — a stark reminder of the fraught and heavily militarised atmosphere now enveloping the capital. - November 27, 2025
