Images obtained by The Wall Street Journal provide the clearest visual account so far of the moment a gunman opened fire on National Guard personnel during a routine patrol in downtown Washington on Wednesday afternoon.
Guard members, who are assigned to high-visibility patrols but do not perform law-enforcement functions, had been circulating through the area around Farragut Square when the shooting occurred.
Earlier that day, a convenience store employee had offered a Guardsman a complimentary snack, a small gesture that reflected the generally easygoing rapport between troops and residents in the neighborhood.
According to officials, that usual sense of normalcy collapsed shortly after 2:13 p.m. when a man walked around a corner, lifted a handgun, and began firing at a group of Guard members.
One of the newly published photos shows troops scrambling as the first shots ring out.
A second image, captured only seconds later near 17th and I streets, shows the suspect gripping a revolver in his right hand while a Guardsman sprints away from the line of fire.
Roughly five seconds after the second photo, a Guardsman can be heard returning fire in a video recorded by a bystander.
Several Guard members were struck, collapsing on the sidewalk along 17th Street NW as witnesses shouted for help and ducked for cover.
The incident has revived memories of the insider-style attacks that occasionally took place during America's long war in Afghanistan, when some Afghan forces turned their weapons on U.S. and coalition troops.
By Wednesday evening, police had sealed off the 17th Street entrance to the Metro station with crime-scene tape as investigators worked to map bullet trajectories, recover evidence, and determine what motivated the midday assault.
Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, were hospitalized in critical condition after the shooting and President Donald Trump announced Thursday evening that Beckstrom had died.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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