The suspect accused of shooting two National Guard members just blocks from the White House now faces a first-degree murder charge after one of the victims died, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Friday.
Driving the news: During a Fox & Friends interview, Pirro said "there are many more charges to come" as the investigation continues. Authorities have not yet disclosed a motive for the attack.
- Pirro said Thursday that initial charges would likely include three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. However, she also said that she would seek murder charges if the victims died.
Context: Two National Guard members from West Virginia, Andrew Wolfe and Sarah Beckstrom, were shot on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., near the White House.
- Beckstrom, 20, died on Thursday.
Zoom in: The suspect, 29, is an Afghan national who officials said previously worked with the CIA.
- He was believed to live with his wife and five children in Bellingham, Washington.
- He entered the country through a Biden-era program designed to assist vulnerable Afghan nationals.
Zoom out: Attorney General Pam Bondi vowed to seek the death penalty for the suspect if one of the victims died.
- Trump — who has insisted on the death penalty for all murders in D.C. — said the suspect would pay "the steepest possible price."
- Republicans ramped up anti-immigrant rhetoric following the shooting, and the Trump administration suspended all immigration applications from Afghan nationals.
Go deeper: Trump wants another 500 National Guard in D.C. after shooting near White House
