Air Force Staff Sergeant Recovering After Being Shot in the Nation's Capital
A member of the National Guard is on the mend after he was critically injured in an targeted attack last month in Washington DC.
The family of Andrew Wolfe, twenty-four, say "his head wound is gradually improving and that he's starting to 'look more like himself,'" said the state's chief executive Patrick Morrisey.
The soldier's relatives expects the military non-commissioned officer to be in intensive treatment for the coming fortnight, and they feel optimistic about his progress, according to the official's statement.
Staff Sgt Wolfe was one of two West Virginia National Guard members shot when a shooter opened fire not far from the White House on 26 November. His fellow guardsmember, twenty-year-old his counterpart, died from her injuries.
"Our request remains for all West Virginians and the nation's citizens for their thoughts and prayers!" the governor said.
Morrisey was present at a vigil 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 shared a message from the soldier's parents, Jason and Melody Wolfe.
"We know that there is a difficult journey to go," they wrote, as reported by regional media outlets.
"However our faith keeps us optimistic. We remain grateful for the prayers and the support from people all over the world."
Earlier in the week, the governor said the serviceman had acknowledged medical staff with a thumbs-up and was capable of move his toes.
Police have charged the alleged gunman, an individual from Afghanistan named Rahmanullah Lakanwal, with premeditated homicide and attempted murder.
Prior to his arrival to the US in 2021, he was once a counterterrorism soldier in a CIA-backed unit that operated alongside US forces in the South Asian nation.
The injured airman was one of two thousand militia personnel whom President Donald Trump deployed to the nation's capitol in last summer as part of his immigration and crime-related crackdown in urban centers.
In the aftermath of the incident, Trump said he wanted an additional five hundred National Guard troops deployed to the District of Columbia.
The former presidential office has also referenced the shooting as a justification for further immigration crackdown measures.
They have cancelled all citizenship ceremonies for foreign nationals from 19 countries that were part of a travel ban implemented over the summer, including the suspect's home country.
