Featured Image Credit: Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Politics, Washington, Gun Crime
Niamh Shackleton
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Politics, Washington, Gun Crime
Donald Trump has been asked if he will attend the funeral of Sarah Beckstrom after the National Guard member tragically died.
Beckstrom was one of the two West Virginia National Guard members shot by an Afghan national near the White House on November 26.
Both guards were left in critical condition after the shooting and 20-year-old Beckstrom sadly succumbed to her injuries.
As part of his Thanksgiving call to US troops, Trump said that he had just learned that Specialist Beckstrom had died, while 24-year-old Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe (the other injured guard) was 'fighting for his life'.
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"She’s just passed away," Trump said. "She’s no longer with us. She’s looking down at us right now. Her parents are with her."
The president called Beckstrom an 'incredible person, outstanding in every single way'.
The suspect charged in the shooting is Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, who worked in a special CIA-backed Afghan army unit before emigrating from Afghanistan, according to sources who spoke to the Associated Press.
In the wake of Beckstrom's death, the president was asked if he would be attending her upcoming funeral.
"It is certainly something I could conceive of," he replied, as per The Mirror. "I love West Virginia, and I won West Virginia by one of the biggest margins of any president anywhere."
Trump continued: "These are great people. I love the people of West Virginia, I love the people of our country, but I haven't given it any thought."
The Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Webster Springs, where Beckstrom is from, will hold prayer vigils this evening and tomorrow evening, according to a Facebook post from the Webster County Veterans Auxiliary.
The Facebook post read: "Our hearts are absolutely broken to share that Sarah has passed away from the injuries she sustained in the D.C. attack. There are no words big enough for this loss. Please keep her family, friends, and fellow soldiers close in your prayers as they face the unimaginable.
"We will still be gathering for the community vigils — now to honor Sarah’s memory, to lift up her family, and to pray for the other service member who remains injured."
People have been urged to wear blue ribbons to the vigils in Beckstrom's memory as 'blue has always been the color that represents support and honor for our service members'.
When Beckstorm's actual funeral will be remains unclear.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact GrieveWell on (734) 975-0238, or email [email protected].