President Donald Trump ordered flags to be flown at half staff on Thursday in honor of the National Guard member who was killed in a shooting last week.
In a memo on Thursday, Trump lowered the White House American flag in honor of Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, who died on Nov. 27, the day after she was shot in Washington, D.C.
All other federal flags were ordered to be lowered until sunset Thursday and embassy across the world will be lowered for the same duration.
“As a mark of respect for the memory of Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, West Virginia Army National Guard, by the power vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United Staes of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff,” the memo read.
Beckstrom and another national guard member, Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, were shot just blocks from the White House last Wednesday ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. Wolfe has been in critical condition.
Each of their families have been invited to the White House to visit with Trump.
The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, has been in the United States since arriving in 2021 through the Operation Allies Welcome program. He resided in Bellingham, Wash., and was arrested at the scene in connection to the shooting. Earlier this week, he was charged with murder and pleaded not guilty.
He reportedly worked in a special Afghan Army unit known as Zero Unit. Lakanwal was also charged with assault with intent to kill while armed, possession of a firearm, and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence in addition to murder. He pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Authorities have not yet identified a motive in the shooting but have pointed to previous mental health issues.
After the shooting, the Trump administration ordered a re-examination of all Afghans who entered the country under the 2021 Biden-era agreement. That move has been criticized by many in the Afghan community.
A vigil was held by Afghan community members where the shooting occurred in Washington D.C. to remember Beckstrom. “This is not who we are,” they said to local media.
The shooting was a rare act of violence against the National Guard, who have been deployed to the nation’s capital using the city’s Home Rule Act. After the shooting, Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said an additional 500 troops would be going to the city.