National guard troops are to be paired with local law enforcement on patrols in Washington DC, according to a report in the Washington Post on Friday, 48 hours after two guard members were shot.
“Officers will conduct high-visibility patrols with the national guard and provide assistance as needed,” according to an email to the district’s leadership obtained by the Post.
The email added that the situation was “fluid”, and that changes to the plan could be still be made.
If enacted, the changes would represent a shift the way the guard are deployed in the nation’s capital since they were assigned in August.
The Trump administration has credited the presence of national guard troops with a significant reduction in street crime, including murder and assault, because it allowed law enforcement in the district to focus on other areas. Shifting them to accompany national guard troops could undercut the reason the troops were sent to the city in the first place.
“Law enforcement agencies across Washington, DC, including the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), are working in close coordination with the National Guard to ensure the safety of our community,” an MPD spokesperson said, without confirming that any changes were yet in effect, but adding, “MPD does not comment on staffing, tactics, or operations.”
Around 2,000 members of the national guard members are deployed to Washington DC, as part of Trump’s “Safe and Beautiful Task Force”. However, they are do not have the same training as city police officers.
On Wednesday, the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, said 500 additional national guard troops would be deployed to the US capital.
The changes come as the suspect in Wednesday’s shooting faced upgraded charges to first-degree murder after army specialist Sarah Beckstrom , 20, died from her wounds from the attack. Rahmanullah Lakanwal is also accused of shooting Andrew Wolfe, also a member of the West Virginia national guard, who remains in critical condition.
In West Virginia, officials honored the two members of the state’s national guard.
The state’s governor Patrick Morrisey asked all West Virginians to observe a moment of silence or prayer on Friday afternoon, and ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in recognition of Beckstrom’s death.
“These two West Virginia heroes were serving our country and protecting our nation’s capital when they were maliciously attacked,” Morrisey said. “Their courage and commitment to duty represent the very best of our state.”
Morrisey said after Trump announced Beckstrom died on Thursday evening that she “served with courage, extraordinary resolve, and an unwavering sense of duty to her state and to her nation”.
