Both victims are in critical condition, and the suspect is in custody, DC police say

Two US National Guard members were shot just blocks from the White House in Washington, DC, on Wednesday.

Police said that the crime scene has been secured, and the suspect is in custody.

Executive Assistant Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department Jeffrey Carroll said both victims are in critical condition. He added that the suspect appears to be "a lone gunman who raised the firearm and ambushed" guardsmen performing "high visibility patrols."

According to CNN, the suspect approached the guardsmen and fired at one of them at close range. He then reportedly shot at another guardsman who tried to take cover behind a bus stop.

West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrissey initially wrote on X shortly after the incident that the victims were members of the state's National Guard and had died from their injuries. He later clarified that he was "receiving conflicting reports" about their condition.

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President Donald Trump has condemned the shooting on Truth Social.

"The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen, with both being critically wounded, and now in two separate hospitals, is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price," he wrote.

Vice President J.D. Vance asked the public to pray for the victims. "I think it's a somber reminder that soldiers, whether they're active-duty, reserve or National Guard, are the sword and the shield of the United States of America," he said.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said after the shooting that 500 additional National Guardsmen would join the 2,500 troops currently stationed in DC.

Trump deployed the National Guard in DC and other urban centers earlier this year as part of what he described as a crackdown on rampant crime in Democrat-run cities. Democrats condemned the move as an abuse of power and filed lawsuits, leading courts to temporarily block some of the deployments.

Last month, large-scale 'No Kings' marches were held across the US to protest Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration and his use of the National Guard.

(RT.com)