West Virginia National Guard member killed in DC is shooting laid to rest
A makeshift memorial for U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe is seen outside of Farragut West Station, near the site where the two National Guard members were shot, Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, in Washington. Credit: AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson
GRAFTON, W.Va. — A West Virginia National Guard member who was fatally shot last month in the nation’s capital was laid to rest with full military honors in a private ceremony.
Spc. Sarah Beckstrom's funeral took place Tuesday at the West Virginia National Cemetery in Grafton, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said in a statement.
“The ceremony was deeply moving and reflected the strength, grace, and love of a remarkable young woman and the family and friends who surrounded her,” Morrisey said.
Beckstrom graduated with honors from Webster County High School in 2023 and joined the National Guard several weeks later. She served in the 863rd Military Police Company.
Beckstrom and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe were ambushed as they patrolled a subway station three blocks from the White House on Nov. 26. She died the next day.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who was also shot during the confrontation, has been charged with murder. He pleaded not guilty.
Morrisey has said Wolfe, who remains in a hospital in Washington, is slowly healing and his family expects he will be in acute care for another few weeks.
A photo of National Guard member Specialist Sarah Beckstrom is displayed at a vigil held in her honor in Webster Springs, W.Va., Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. Credit: AP/Rachel Isabell
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