National Guardsman 'slowly healing' after being shot in Washington DC

A National Guardsman is on the mend after he was critically injured in an ambush-style shooting last month in Washington DC.

The parents of Andrew Wolfe, 24, say "his head wound is slowly healing and that he's beginning to 'look more like himself'", said West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey.

The family expects the Air Force staff sergeant to be in acute care for the next two to three weeks, and they feel optimistic about his progress, Morrisey said in a statement.

Staff Sgt Wolfe was one of two West Virginia National Guard members shot when a gunman opened fire not far from the White House on 26 November. His colleague, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, died from her injuries.

"We continue to ask all West Virginians and Americans for their prayers!" the governor said in his statement.

Morrisey attended a vigil on Friday evening for Staff Sgt Wolfe at Musselman High School in Inwood, West Virginia, where the guardsman was once a student.

A pastor at the vigil read a message from the soldier's parents, Jason and Melody Wolfe.

"We know that there is a long road to go," they wrote, according to local news outlet Metro News.

"But our faith keeps us hopeful. We remain grateful for the prayers and the support from people all over the world."

Earlier in the week, the governor said Staff Sgt Wolfe had responded to a nurse with a thumbs-up and was able to move his toes.

Police have charged the suspected shooter, an Afghan national named Rahmanullah Lakanwal, with first-degree murder and assault with intent to kill.

Before coming to the US in 2021, he was once a counterterrorism soldier in a CIA-backed unit that worked with American troops in Afghanistan.

Staff Sgt Wolfe was one of 2,000 National Guard members whom President Donald Trump deployed to the nation's capitol in August as part of his immigration and crime-related crackdown in Democratic-led cities.

Following the shooting, Trump said he wanted another 500 National Guard troops sent to the nation's capital.

The Trump administration has also cited the shooting as a reason for additional immigration crackdown measures.

They have cancelled all citizenship ceremonies for immigrants from 19 countries that were part of a travel ban announced over the summer, including Afghanistan.