LIVE: D.C. mayor calls shooting of National Guard members a ‘targeted attack’
Two guard members from West Virginia are in critical condition, and the suspect has also been injured.
Both of the National Guard members who were shot today in Washington D.C. were shot in the head, according to a U.S. official and a senior official directly briefed on the investigation.
Authorities believe they are close to identifying the man they believe is responsible for today’s “targeted attack,” two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation say.
Bowser and FBI Director Kash Patel said the two guard members are in “critical condition.”
At a news conference this evening, Bowser described the incident as a “targeted shooting.” Patel said the case will be treated as an assault on a federal law enforcement officer.
Metropolitan Police Executive Assistant Chief Jeffery Carroll said the shooting occurred at 2:15 p.m. when a person “came around the corner, raised his arm with a firearm and discharged at the National Guard members.”
At a media availability gathering this evening, Bowser called the shooting of two National Guard members this afternoon “targeted,” saying a suspect who was taken into custody “appeared to target these guardsmen.”
Bowser also told reporters that she has briefed Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was speaking to Trump when she called, as well as U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.
Bowser said Pirro “assured me that this case will have her office’s complete attention.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said today that Trump had asked him, and he will in turn ask the Army secretary, to add 500 guard members to Washington after today’s shooting.
“This will only stiffen our resolve to ensure that we make Washington, D.C., safe and beautiful,” Hegseth told reporters. “But if criminals want to conduct things like this, violence against America’s best, we will never back down.”
He said the suspect opened fire “in a cowardly, dastardly act targeting the best of America.”
West Virginia’s two senators decried the shooting of two National Guard members from their state.
“Cathy and I were devastated to hear about the horrific shooting that took place near the White House earlier today involving 2 National Guardsmen,” Sen. Jim Justice said in a statement. “We will keep them in our prayers.”
Shelley Moore Capito said she’s closely monitoring the “terrible news out of D.C.”
“Praying for the guardsmen, their families, and everyone impacted as we learn more,” she said in a statement.
As of Monday, there were 180 members of the West Virginia National Guard on duty in Washington, according to the Joint Task Force.
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey appeared to walk back his previous post announcing the deaths of the two National Guard members, saying his office is “now receiving conflicting reports” about their conditions.
“We are now receiving conflicting reports about the condition of our two Guard members and will provide additional updates once we receive more complete information,” Morrisey wrote on X. “Our prayers are with these brave service members, their families, and the entire Guard community.”
Vice President JD Vance addressed the shooting near the White House in his remarks this afternoon to troops at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
“Apparently there was a shooting outside the White House just a couple of hours ago, and we’re still learning everything. We still don’t know the motive. There’s a lot that we haven’t yet figured out, but what we do know is that a couple of National Guardsmen were injured in the line of duty,” Vance said.
“And first of all, I want everybody who’s a person of faith to say a prayer for those two National Guardsmen that they’re able to spend Thanksgiving with their families instead of losing their lives, because I understand they’re still in pretty tough condition,” he added.
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said this afternoon that both National Guard members had died.
Multiple members of Congress offered their prayers and support after the shooting of two National Guardsmen near the White House.
“My heart breaks for the victims of this horrific shooting in Washington DC near the White House,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on X. “I am closely monitoring the situation and am praying for the wounded National Guardsmen and their families. I thank all the first responders for their quick action to capture the suspect.”
House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said on X: “Praying for the National Guard members wounded in this horrific shooting. Thankful for the brave law enforcement officers and first responders who swiftly apprehended a suspect. There is no place for violence in America.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., praised troops in a social media post this afternoon for their “heroic work this year working around the clock to make our nation’s capital safe again” after Trump deployed the National Guard in Washington in August as part of a crackdown on crime.
“We are forever grateful for the swift actions of law enforcement and for all those who risk their own lives to protect everyone else,” Johnson wrote on X.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said on X: “As I monitor the situation that’s developing near the White House, my thoughts and prayers are with the National Guardsmen who were attacked this afternoon. I urge you to keep them in your prayers, too.”
The two National Guard members who were critically wounded this afternoon have died, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said.
“It is with great sorrow that we can confirm both members of the West Virginia National Guard who were shot earlier today in Washington, DC have passed away from their injuries,” he wrote on X. “These brave West Virginians lost their lives in the service of their country.”
National Guard members were “involved in a shooting” near a busy Washington, D.C., Metro station, authorities said.
They “were involved in a shooting near the Farragut West Metro Station,” the National Guard Joint Task Force said in a statement.
The guard “is working closely with Metro PD and partner law enforcement agencies,” the statement added.
The FBI is at the scene and is assisting in the investigation, FBI Director Kash Patel said.
“Please pray for them and we will update with more information as we are able,” he wrote on X.
Trump described the suspect who allegedly shot two members of the National Guard today in dehumanizing terms, calling them an “animal” and saying that they “will pay a very steep price.”
“The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen, with both being critically wounded, and now in two separate hospitals, is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The president also lauded the National Guard, military and law enforcement, calling them “truly Great People,” who have his support.
Police said that at least one suspect was in custody.
A ground stop was in place at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport “due to security,” and due to the proximity to the shooting scene, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said.
The stop was issued shortly after the shooting of two National Guardsmen in the nation’s capital.
The FAA also held traffic to allow a medevac chopper to land and other overwatch helicopters to fly in the area of the airport. As of 3:30 p.m. ET, the FAA is holding arrivals at the airport but allowing departures.
Trump is at Mar-a-Lago for the Thanksgiving holiday and has been briefed on the shooting in Washington, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
“The White House is aware and actively monitoring this tragic situation. The President has been briefed,” said Leavitt.
Vice President JD Vance is visiting Fort Campbell in Kentucky.
A pair of National Guard members were wounded in the downtown Washington, D.C., shooting, officials said.
“Please join me in praying for the two National Guardsmen who were just shot moments ago in Washington D.C.,” according to a statement by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
National Guard soldiers stand behind the crime scene tape at a corner in downtown Washington today. Drew Angerer / AFP – Getty Images
At least one suspect has been taken into custody, police said,
“The scene is secured,” MPD said in a statement. “One suspect is in custody.”
Gunfire erupted in downtown Washington, D.C., today with city police urging residents to stay clear of this “critical incident,” authorities said.
Metropolitan police officers rushed to “the scene of a shooting at 17th and I Street, NW,” according to a department statement.
“Please avoid the area,” the agency added.
Metro Transit Police officers also responded to the scene, officials said.
NBC News