THE D.C. SHOOTING THAT TRUMP WORLD IS ALREADY WEAPONIZING
What Really Happened Near Farragut West, and Why the Facts Already Contradict the Political Spin
On November 26, Washington, D.C. was hit with a midday shooting that killed National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and critically wounded Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe. Within minutes, conservative figures began pushing a story they had already prepared. The shooting had barely been reported before political operatives rewrote it as a failure of immigration, a failure of vetting, or a failure of Democrats.
But once again, the facts tell a different story.
Lies travel fast. The truth needs help catching up.
The Shooting and the Suspect
According to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and the charging affidavit, Rahmanullah Lakanwal opened fire near the Farragut West Metro station shortly after noon. Officers returned fire and subdued him. He was hospitalized and charged the next day in D.C. Superior Court. He pleaded not guilty.
“Prosecutors say no motive has been identified and no connection to a terrorist organization has been found.”
Witnesses reported hearing him yell “Allahu Akbar.” Officials caution that a shouted phrase is not the same as a confirmed ideological motive. That distinction is already being ignored by those who want the headline, not the truth.
Who He Is and What the Records Show
Lakanwal is an Afghan wartime partner who worked alongside U.S. forces. He arrived in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, the program established to evacuate Afghans who helped American troops during the twenty-year war.
Documents reviewed by NBC News and the Associated Press show that he lived in Bellingham, Washington with his wife and five children. He went through full federal vetting, including biometric screening and cross-agency background checks.
There is no record of past criminal behavior.
There is no record of radicalization.
There is no record of extremist ties.
“This man was not a border crosser. He was a U.S. ally vetted through the very process Republicans publicly defended for years.”
The attempt to convert this tragedy into a campaign talking point is already underway, and it is already dishonest.
The Rush to Blame Refugees
Trump advisers and right-wing influencers quickly targeted the Operation Allies Welcome program. They suggested Lakanwal represented a systemic threat and that Afghan evacuees were “dangerous,” despite the data showing the opposite.
According to the Department of Homeland Security’s 2024 report on the program, the rate of security concerns among evacuees was under one percent and those cases were blocked before entry.
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Nothing about this case matches the talking points being broadcast on partisan media.
But that has never stopped them before.
The Stakes Are Rising Fast
Prosecutors have already announced they intend to seek the death penalty. That decision alone will amplify the political spotlight on this case. Trump allies such as Pam Bondi have framed the shooting as a national security failure before investigators have even identified a motive.
Legal experts warn that such statements can jeopardize due process and distort public understanding of the case.
“Turning a homicide case into a referendum on refugees before the evidence is even processed is not justice. It is political theatre.”
The victims deserve more respect than that. So does the truth.
A Tragedy, Not a Talking Point
This case will be used to justify policies that have nothing to do with this shooting. It will be used to smear thousands of Afghan evacuees who risked their lives helping U.S. forces. It will be used to sow fear at a time when clarity is needed most.
America has a choice. It can treat this tragedy as a case that belongs in court. Or it can let political opportunists twist it into something it is not.
History has shown what happens when fear wins.
References
Associated Press. (2025). Suspect in D.C. shooting of National Guard members charged with murder. AP News.
DC Metropolitan Police Department. (2025). Incident report: Farragut West shooting.
Department of Homeland Security. (2024). Operation Allies Welcome: Annual report on vetting, resettlement, and security outcomes. DHS.gov.
NBC News. (2025). Afghan evacuee charged in D.C. shooting had previously worked with U.S. forces.
U.S. Department of Justice. (2025). Press briefing remarks by DOJ spokesperson Pam Bondi regarding charges in D.C. shooting case. DOJ.gov.
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