The West Virginia National Guard confirmed the death of its member Sarah Beckstrom after she was fatally shot in Washington DC yesterday.

Beckstrom enlisted in the West Virginia National Guard on June 26, 2023, and served as a military police officer with the 863rd Military Police Company, said the West Virginia National Guard this evening in a statement on Facebook.

The 20-year-old volunteered to serve as part of Operation DC Safe and Beautiful in the capital.

“Her loss is felt profoundly across our One Guard Family and throughout the Mountain State,” it added.

“I extend my deepest condolences to Spc. Beckstrom’s family, friends, and fellow Guardsmen. We grieve alongside them and honor her memory by carrying forward her commitment to service, integrity, and excellence,” said Maj. Gen. Jim Seward, the Adjutant General of the West Virginia National Guard.

The former boyfriend of Sarah Beckstrom — the National Guard member who died earlier today after being shot alongside another guardsman in Washington, DC, yesterday — told CNN she was a loving, caring person.

He shared with CNN that she would make him lunch before he left for work in the morning and would excitedly wait for him to give him a hug when he returned home.

Carr said their six-year relationship “ended on good terms” a month ago after the couple grew apart while she was deployed to Washington, DC.

He said that while Beckstrom was initially “dreading” being deployed to the nation’s capital, she grew to enjoy it and even volunteered to stay longer.

“She was actually enjoying it and really liked it down there, seeing the monuments, going to the museums on her own time,” Carr added.

Carr also told CNN that Beckstrom was interested in joining the FBI and believed that being part of the National Guard “would be a good foot in the doorway to help her get there.”

A vigil was held tonight in Webster Springs, West Virginia, for the two National Guard members who were shot in Washington, DC, yesterday.

Sarah Beckstrom, the guard members who died earlier today, went to high school near Webster Springs.

One woman, who said she was in a nursing class with Beckstrom, described her as “so sweet.”

Another woman said the group will gather again tomorrow and Saturday.

CNN’s Dalia Abdelwahab contributed to this post.

US President Donald Trump listens to a reporter’s question while participating in a video call with military service members from his Mar-a-Lago residence on Thursday.

Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

President Donald Trump has spoken to the parents of Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, who was killed in yesterday’s shooting at Washington, DC, the White House said this evening.

He also indicated he would consider attending her funeral, calling her “outstanding in every single way.”

“Well, the family is devastated, as you can imagine,” Trump said earlier when asked about his outreach during a Thanksgiving call to service members this evening.

The president praised Beckstrom, saying, “She was so outstanding. I mean, I just heard outstanding in every single way.”

When asked on whether he plans to attend her funeral, Trump said he had not made a decision.

“I haven’t thought about it yet, but it certainly is something I could conceive of. I love West Virginia,” he added.

A dignified transfer of Beckstrom will happen at 9 p.m., according to a source familiar with the matter.

DC units will be assisting in the transport from the MedStar Washington Hospital Center to the medical examiner in Washington, DC. A dignified transfer is a procedure honoring the remains of a fallen service member.

A picture of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the suspect in the shooting of two National Guard members.

Nathan Howard/Reuters

President Donald Trump said today that the administration is looking into whether to deport the family of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the suspect in the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, DC.

Lakanwal resided in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and children, US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said earlier today. He is an Afghan national who officials say came to the US in 2021 under a program implemented by the Biden administration following the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The 29-year-old had previously worked in Afghanistan with the CIA, according to the agency’s director, John Ratcliffe. He was granted asylum in April by the Trump administration, multiple law enforcement officials told CNN.

When asked if Lakanwal was granted asylum under his administration, Trump said, “When you — it comes to asylum, when they’re flown in, it’s very hard to get them out.”