National Guardsman Recovering After Being Shot in the Nation's Capital
A member of the Air 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, twenty-four, report "his head wound is gradually improving and that he's starting to 'look more like himself,'" said West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey.
The soldier's relatives expects the military non-commissioned officer to be in acute care for the next two to three weeks, and they feel optimistic about his progress, according to the official's statement.
The serviceman was one of two West Virginia National Guard members injured by gunfire when a shooter opened fire in proximity to the White House on 26 November. His fellow guardsmember, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, succumbed to her wounds.
"We continue to ask all West Virginians and Americans for their thoughts and prayers!" the governor said.
The governor attended a candlelight gathering on last Friday night for the injured soldier at Musselman High School in his hometown, where the guardsman was once a student.
A clergyman at the event read 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 local news outlet outlets.
"But our belief keeps us optimistic. We remain thankful for the well-wishes and the encouragement from people all over the globe."
Earlier in the week, the state official said the serviceman had acknowledged medical staff with a thumbs-up and was capable of move his toes.
Law enforcement have formally accused the alleged gunman, an individual from Afghanistan named the suspect, with premeditated homicide and assault with intent to kill.
Before coming to the United States in 2021, he was once a member of a special forces unit in a paramilitary group that operated alongside US forces in the South Asian nation.
The injured airman was one of 2,000 National Guard members whom President Donald Trump deployed to the nation's capitol in last summer as part of his policy initiative in urban centers.
In the aftermath of the incident, the former president said he desired another 500 National Guard troops deployed to the District of Columbia.
The former presidential office has also referenced the shooting as a reason for additional restrictive policies.
They have cancelled all citizenship ceremonies for foreign nationals from a list of nations that were part of a entry restriction implemented over the summer, including Afghanistan.
