UPDATE: The Governor of West Virginia has retracted his confirmation that the two National Guardsmen shot today in Washington DC had died from their wounds.
“We are now receiving conflicting reports about the condition of our two Guard members and will provide additional updates once we receive more complete information,” Gov. Patrick Morrisey tweeted mere minutes after saying the WV Guardsmen were killed.
Gov. Morrisey was the single source for the breaking news of the deaths, news that may have been premature, it seems.
Earlier Wednesday, Donald Trump said that the Guardsmen were “critically wounded.” There is no clear motive for the shooting, though police are scouring security and surveillance cameras in the area for more details.
n the aftermath of the shootings, the Defense Department just announced another 500 troops will be joining the nearly 2,400 National Guardsmen Trump already ordered to the streets of the nation’s capitol this summer.
Local law enforcement officials tell Deadline that they can not confirm the condition of the Guardsmen, but say they have received no information the duo have died. Both Guardsmen were taken to a local hospital, as was the suspected shooter.
The stunning from the Governor Morrisey saw the likes of MS Now and CNN ponder “the pressure to get information out” in the digital era and how mistakes can be made.
Members of law enforcement, including the U.S. Secret Service and the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, respond to a shooting iof two National Guardsmen in DC on Nov. 26, 2025 (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
PREVIOUSLY, 12:59 PM: The two National Guardsmen shot today in Washington DC have died from their injuries, says the Governor of West Virginia.
“It is with great sorrow that we can confirm both members of the West Virginia National Guard who were shot earlier today in Washington, DC have passed away from their injuries,” Governor Patrick Morrisey wrote on social media Wednesday afternoon, just over an hour after the shooting near a DC Metro station. “These brave West Virginians lost their lives in the service of their country. We are in ongoing contact with federal officials as the investigation continues.”
The news caused shock and sorrow as cable news anchor read out Gov. Morrisey’s message. On MS Now, Katy Tur‘s voice broke as she told viewers the terrible update. “I’m a bit speechless as this is so awful,” Tur said. With a deep sigh, the anchor lamented the “devastating” loss in what she called a “year of traumas” for America.
PREVIOUSLY, 12:48 PM: Donald Trump says the two National Guard members shot today in Washington DC are “critically wounded, and now in two separate hospitals.”
“The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen …, is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price,” Trump added online from his home in Florida.
In total three people have been taken to hospital, including the two Guardsmen, who are memberrs of the West Virginia. With hundreds of Guardsmen deployed in contentious force o DC earlier this year by Trump, no motive has been revealed by law enforcement as of yet.
A suspect is now in custody, DC police say too.
The shooting occurred about a minute away from the White House, at the Farragut West Metro Station. It is unclear if the Guardsmen were the target, but we do know that the duo engage in fire with the gunman. If the gunman was deliberately shooting at the Guardsmen, that would make this a federal crime and come under the FBI‘s investigative jurisdiction.
To that, FBI Director Kash Patel took to social media to state the Bureau is already on the scene of the crime:
As the Executive Mansion, the Treasury Department and other government buildings went into full lockdown seconds after the shooting started, administration Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “The White House is aware and actively monitoring this tragic situation. The president has been briefed.”
Earlier Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem gave official notice of the tragic incident:
Dozens of police swarmed 18th Street mere minutes after the shooting began and people ran for safety. Joined now by more National Guardsmen, Secret Service , DHS, the FBI, and other law enforcement, the DC Police Department have shut the whole distinctly non-residential area of the District down.
On what is usually a slow pre-Thanksgiving news day, cable channels CNN, MS Now and Fox News went full-on covering the shooting — as did the BBC. “Almost get over-response ..lot of things going on,” CNN Senior Law Enforcement Analyst Charles Ramsey said on-air as the nets scrambled to handle a clearly fluid situation.
There have been around 2,375 National Guardsmen in Washington since August, when Trump added the District to the Democratic run cities he has positioned troops in. The vast majority of the Guardsmen deployed in DC are from Southern states like West Virginia, Mississippi and Georgia. While they do not have the ability to arrest anyone or abduct them like ICE agents, most of the Guardsmen are heavily armed.
Earlier this month, a federal judge ruled the August deployment of the Guardsmen was likely “unlawful.” The administration is appealing that decision.
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