National Guardsman Recovering After Being Shot in Washington DC
A member of the National Guard is showing improvement after he was gravely wounded in an targeted attack last month in the US capital.
The parents of Andrew Wolfe, 24, report "the injury to his head is gradually improving and that he's beginning to 'look more like himself,'" said West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey.
The family anticipates the Air Force staff sergeant to be in intensive treatment for the next two to three weeks, and they feel hopeful about his recovery, said the governor.
Staff Sgt Wolfe was one of a pair of state guardsmen shot when a shooter began shooting in proximity to the presidential residence on 26 November. His colleague, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, succumbed to her wounds.
"Our request remains for all West Virginians and the nation's citizens for their prayers!" the governor said.
Morrisey attended a candlelight gathering on Friday evening for the injured soldier at a local secondary school in his hometown, where the guardsman was once a pupil.
A pastor at the event shared a message from the soldier's parents, Jason and Melody Wolfe.
"It is clear to us that there is a long road to go," they wrote, according to regional media outlets.
"But our belief keeps us hopeful. We remain grateful for the well-wishes and the encouragement from people all over the globe."
Earlier in the week, the governor said Staff Sgt Wolfe had responded to a nurse with a positive gesture and was able to move his toes.
Law enforcement have formally accused the alleged gunman, an Afghan national named Rahmanullah Lakanwal, with first-degree murder and attempted murder.
Before coming to the United States in 2021, he was once a member of a special forces unit in a CIA-backed unit that worked with American troops in the South Asian nation.
Staff Sgt Wolfe was one of 2,000 militia personnel whom President Donald Trump dispatched to the Washington DC in August as part of his policy initiative in urban centers.
Following the shooting, the former president said he desired an additional five hundred military personnel sent to the District of Columbia.
The former presidential office has also referenced the attack as a justification for further immigration crackdown measures.
They have halted naturalization proceedings for immigrants from a list of nations that were part of a travel ban announced over the recent season, including the suspect's home country.
