WASHINGTON, D.C. (WOWK) – A superseding indictment filed against the man accused of killing a West Virginia National Guard member and critically wounding another in Washington, D.C. , could lead to the death penalty if he is convicted.
According to the superseding indictment filed on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Rahmanullah Lakanwal is charged with the following 17 counts:
- “Murder of a person assisting an officer and employee of the United States”
- Three counts of “attempted murder of a person assisting an officer and employee of the United States”
- “Transportation of a firearm & ammunition in interstate commerce with the intent to commit a felony”
- “Discharge of a firearm during crime of violence and causing death of person through use of firearm”
- Three counts of “discharge of firearm during crime of violence”
- “First-degree murder while armed (premeditated)”
- Four counts of “possession of a firearm during crime of violence or dangerous offense”
- Three counts of “assault with intent to kill while armed”
The charges stem from the shooting of U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, of Webster Springs, and U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew “Andy” Wolfe, then 24, of Martinsburg, near Farragut Square Metro Station in the area of 17th and I streets NW, in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 26, 2025.
Specialist Beckstrom died the next day on Thanksgiving. Six and a half months later, Staff Sergeant Wolfe, now 25, continues to recover, in what his family, fellow Guardsmen and medical team continue to call a miracle. Both Beckstrom and Wolfe were awarded the Purple Heart during the 2026 State of the Union…