Two National Guard members shot in D.C., suspect is in custody, authorities say
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
A moment that has rattled the nation's capital today - two National Guard members were shot near the White House this afternoon. The D.C. police say one suspect is in custody. And President Trump posted on social media that the alleged shooter was severely wounded. For more, we're joined now by NPR's Tom Bowman. Hi, Tom.
TOM BOWMAN, BYLINE: Hey, Ailsa.
CHANG: So catch us up here. What do we know at this point?
BOWMAN: Well, we know both were from the West Virginia National Guard. Initially, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey wrote on X that there were conflicting reports of their health status. Right now we understand they're in critical condition. Now, the two were shot close to the White House, about two blocks away at the Farragut West metro station. Police say a suspect is in custody, no detail on that person. And also, a video taken by a bystander shows guardsmen tackling a man. And next to him, there's a shattered window from a bus shelter.
CHANG: Terrifying. And I understand, Tom, that you were at the scene not long after the incident. What did you see there?
BOWMAN: Well, police closed off the area. We couldn't get within a block of the metro station. But we did talk with two young women, Emma McDonald and Leila Christopher from northern Virginia, who were just coming out of the metro moments after it happened. Here's Leila.
LEILA CHRISTOPHER: We were getting off the metro coming from Vienna, and we were getting off at Farragut. And then we, like, came up to the street and a National Guards person told us to, like, run.
BOWMAN: So they ran into a bakery a few steps away. Customers in there told them they heard six shots. Many people were afraid. Others, Ailsa, were just sitting there drinking their coffee. Emma said she wasn't afraid because there were so many police and guard troops around. She also hopes to be a nurse, so she noticed a special device called a LUCAS device that maintains a heart rate, you know, while you're being transported to the hospital. And she looked out and saw this.
EMMA MCDONALD: We saw an EMT truck pull up, and then they left with an empty truck. Two minutes later, came back with somebody with a LUCAS device. And the National Guard member was covered in blood on his head.
CHANG: Oh, God. Tom, can you just remind everyone - why have National Guard troops been on the streets in Washington, D.C.?
BOWMAN: Well, they've been deployed since August, more than 2,000 troops, including 180 from West Virginia. President Trump ordered the deployment, as you remember, to help reduce crime. And they've been patrolling mostly in the tourist areas near the monuments in Georgetown. And also, they've been picking up trash, removing graffiti. And just yesterday, the governor filed - the government filed an appeal looking to have a ruling from a federal judge who blocked the deployment. And just after the shooting, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said President Trump has ordered another 500 guard troops to D.C.
CHANG: I mean, today has been so horrifying. And I want to talk about just leading up to today. How much have members of the guard been harassed, would you say, in D.C. specifically?
BOWMAN: There's been some harassment, people yelling at them, sometimes throwing things at them. Others have said, you know, we're glad you're here. But, you know, no real violence until what we saw today, really. But, you know, the guard is controversial on the streets of U.S. cities. Some like them here, others don't. And we're seeing this play out all around the country. In Illinois, I'm told by a guard officer, the guard Facebook page is full of words like traitor and Nazis and SS, and they haven't even hit the streets yet. So again, very controversial and just very troubling.
CHANG: That is NPR's Tom Bowman. Thank you so much, Tom.
BOWMAN: You're welcome.
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