Alltimepost.com Sincerity of Purpose
According to the report, the guardsmen were performing “high visibility patrols” when they were shot, according to police officials, who added the suspected shooter was “subdued” and taken into custody.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has asked for 500 more National Guard troops to be deployed to Washington, DC, following the shooting, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said.
Eyewitnesses describe shooting of 2 National Guardsmen in DC today
Two eyewitnesses described the shooting today of two National Guardsmen in downtown Washington, DC, with one telling the WUSA television station that five shots rang out.
“Five shots and then everybody was running,” the witness said, adding, “Two shots and then three came probably 30 seconds behind them.”
Another eyewitness shared that she saw “a lot of little children running up he street.”
The woman, who said she was in an Uber during her lunch break, headed to the dry cleaners, told WUSA that around 2:15 p.m. she “heard ‘boom, boom’ two times.”
“I look out the window and I see both sides of the street, a lot of little children running up the street and adults. So then I heard ‘help, help’ two times but I was so focused on the little children — they looked like they were 5-years-old — that the little children were OK, I didn’t look to see who yelled ‘help, help’ two times.”
She added that National Guardsmen told her Uber driver to turn around.
Witness says he hid behind chairs near the scene when he heard gun shots
Ryaan Aqid, a 21-year-old Cornell student who is in town visiting Washington, DC, this weekend for the Thanksgiving holiday, was walking back to his hotel from getting a sandwich at Potbelly when he heard gunshots.
He said he hid behind chairs in Farragut Square during the duration of the gunshots on his walk back to the hotel. Aqid heard the gunshots about 20 to 30 seconds after he left Potbelly.
On his walk to get lunch, Aqid says he remembers seeing two National Guardsmen on his walk to lunch, but he was not sure if it was the same guardsmen who were shot.
He did see a person with his hands behind his back on his stomach, who he assumes was the shooter. At least one person was holding him down, Aqid said. He did see someone administering CPR, but he could not see who they were treating.“It kept on happening,” Aqid said, meaning that people kept coming to the scene.
Video footage shows police administering CPR to a National Guardsman on the ground next to a shattered bus stop station at the intersection of 17th and I Street NW in Washington, DC, this afternoon.
The video then pans to what appears to be a second National Guardsman on the ground surrounded by police.
Patrick, the person who shot the video but doesn’t want his last name shared for privacy reasons, said he was about to enter the Bottom Line bar on I Street at around 2:10 p.m. when he started to hear loud bangs.
He assumed it was construction, before seeing people running toward him on I street. When he asked why everyone was running, a man told him someone was shooting at the intersection of 17th and I Street NW.
He was skeptical at first because it didn’t look like there was a lot of commotion down the street.
There was a brief pause before he heard another round of gunshots. At that point, he ducked into an alleyway for about two minutes.
“They were thick gunshots. I mean, I couldn’t really tell if it was a rifle or a pistol, but some type of big caliber.”
Once he stopped hearing gunshots, he walked to the intersection and saw two National Guardsmen as well as a third person on the ground.
People were performing CPR on one of the guardsman, he said, while the other guardsman had blood near his head. Patrick believed the guardsman with head wounds was still alive because he saw him moving his arm and trying to roll over.
A gunman is in custody after opening fire on National Guardsmen in DC. Here’s what we know
Two National Guardsmen are in critical condition after a gunman opened fire in Washington, DC as they were patrolling the streets.
The news is developing fast. Here’s what we know as it all unfolds:
What happened: Today at around 2:15 p.m. ET, members of the National Guard were performing “high visibility patrols” in DC before a suspect appeared, “raised his arm with a firearm and discharged at the National Guard,” according to Executive Assistant Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department Jeffery Carroll. The guardsmen were “able to subdue the individual and bring them into custody” after what Carroll called “some back and forth.”
Critical condition: The two guardsmen were “critically wounded” in the incident, FBI Director Kash Patel and DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said during a news conference.
Suspect in custody: The suspect was transferred to an area hospital following the shooting. According to a law enforcement source, the suspect is not cooperating with investigators and had no identification on him at the time of his arrest. There are no other suspects except the one currently in custody, police said.
Motive: Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday the motive behind the shooting is unknown, calling the incident a “somber reminder” of the risks service members face. Patel called the incident “an assault” and Bowser called it “a targeted shooting.”
What people are saying: President Donald Trump said the shooter is “severely wounded” and will “pay a very steep price.” Patel, Bowser, Attorney General Pam Bondi and other officials are calling for prayers following the incident. House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries praised law enforcement.
A call for more guardsmen: Trump asked for 500 more National Guard troops to be deployed to DC following the shooting, but a federal judge ruled last week the president and the Defense Department illegally deployed the National Guard in the district.
SOURCE: CNN
