Two West Virginia National Guard troops were shot and critically wounded near the White House on Wednesday afternoon, November 26, 2025. A suspect, who was also wounded, was taken into custody. Authorities are investigating the shooting as a targeted attack and have not ruled out possible terrorism motives.
Two National Guard members from West Virginia were shot near the Farragut West Metro station, close to 17th and I Streets NW, just blocks from the White House, prompting a heavy response from police, federal agents and additional Guard units. Video from the scene showed emergency vehicles swarming the intersection and officers converging on a wounded suspect on the ground.
The guardsmen were in uniform when they were attacked with a handgun in what law enforcement officials have described as an ambush-style assault. According to statements from the Metropolitan Police Department and FBI Director Kash Patel, the suspect came around a corner, raised a firearm and opened fire on the two troops before being subdued by other Guard members and law enforcement. Both soldiers were reported to be in critical condition at a local hospital.
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey said the troops were members of his state’s National Guard. He initially posted on X that both Guardsmen had died, but later walked back that statement, citing "conflicting reports about the condition of our two Guard members" and promising further updates as more information became available.
President Donald Trump, who was at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida for the Thanksgiving holiday, described the troops as critically wounded and receiving treatment at Washington-area hospitals. In a social media statement reported by multiple outlets, Trump condemned the gunman as "the animal that shot the two National Guardsmen" and vowed the attacker would "pay a very steep price," adding that he was praying for the Guard and for law enforcement.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth called the shooting "a cowardly, dastardly act targeting the best of America, heroes willing to serve in Washington, D.C.," according to comments reported by the Daily Caller and other outlets. Hegseth said Trump had requested the deployment of 500 additional National Guard troops to the capital, saying, "This will only stiffen our resolve to ensure that we make Washington, D.C., safe and beautiful." Officials said that order would bring the total number of Guard members in the city to more than 2,600, part of an ongoing federal effort to address violent crime and disorder in the capital that has drawn legal and political challenges.
Law enforcement officials told several news organizations that the suspect acted alone. A review of video from the scene led Washington, D.C., police to conclude that a single gunman ambushed the soldiers, and Mayor Muriel Bowser described the incident as a "targeted shooting," saying one individual appeared to have deliberately singled out the Guardsmen. The suspect was also shot during the confrontation and was hospitalized with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem publicly confirmed the attack in a statement, saying, "Please join me in praying for the two National Guardsmen who were just shot moments ago in Washington D.C." She added that the Department of Homeland Security was working with local law enforcement to gather more information. The FBI is leading the federal investigation, which authorities said will examine whether the shooting was an act of terrorism; officials have said they have not yet determined a motive.
The attack occurred in a busy commercial district around Farragut Square, an area with restaurants, offices and Metro entrances. Streets near the Farragut West station were shut down, office buildings and nearby government facilities were placed under lockdown, and the White House and other federal buildings briefly tightened security as agents from the Secret Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Joint DC Task Force responded. The shooting has intensified an already heated debate over the Trump administration’s extensive deployment of National Guard troops in the nation’s capital.
