The condition of two West Virginia national guard members shot on Wednesday near the White House in Washington is unclear after the state governor received “conflicting reports” and Donald Trump said they were critically wounded.
The incident happened near the Farragut West metro station and comes amid a controversial deployment of troops to the US capital city ordered by the Trump administration. While Patrick Morrisey, West Virginia’s governor, had said both soldiers were killed in the shooting, he later posted an update clarifying that more information was needed.
“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,” wrote Morrisey on X, minutes after first posting that they were killed.
A task force of an estimated 2,375 national guard troops are currently activated in Washington, with West Virginia making up the second largest contingent at 416 troops, only behind DC’s national guard at 949 troops. Some units in Washington are armed with their service-issue handguns and others with rifles, a defense official told the Guardian in August.
Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) wrote on X shortly before 3pm local time that the scene is secured and one suspect is in custody.
Donald Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said earlier that both national guardsmen were “critically wounded” and the shooter is “also severely wounded” and “will pay a very steep price”.
Emergency vehicles were seen responding to the area. Earlier, the MPD said that a “critical incident” occurred. “MPD is on the scene of a shooting at 17th and I Street, NW. Please avoid the area. Updates to come,” the post said.
Witnesses reported seeing several National Guard troops running across the square. Office buildings in the square were put under lockdown, with workers told to leave by rear door if they wished to leave the premises. The Guardian’s Washington office, located on Farragut Square Park, was under lockdown. Law enforcement officers also ordered staff in the buildings to stay away from glass doors adjoining the square.
The White House was also locked down.
National guard troops have been positioned across Washington since August, when the Trump administration declared a “crime emergency” in the city and ordered them in to support federal and local law enforcement.
The other states that sent their national guard to Washington include South Carolina, Ohio, Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, though several state officials told the Associated Press in October they plan to end their deployments by 30 November.
The deployment has been extended multiple times, and was reportedly ordered to continue through February 2026. A federal judge has since ruled the deployment illegal, but put the ruling on hold for 21 days, leaving the Guard remains in place while the administration decides whether to appeal.
Source: US Politics - theguardian.com
