Two National Guard members were shot and critically wounded on Wednesday morning (local time) outside the White House complex in what officials described as a targeted attack.

A suspect - whom police say appears to be the only shooter - was shot and then taken in to police custody, according to authorities.

The suspected shooter was identified as an Afghan national who entered the United States in 2021 and at some point lived in Washington state, according to multiple people familiar with the investigation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information. Two of those people said the suspect was Rahmanullah Lakanwal.

Police did not comment on a potential motive.

The wounded Guard members were from West Virginia, sent to DC to support US President Donald Trump’s deployment of more than 2000 National Guard troops to address what he called a “crime emergency” in the nation’s capital. A judge had recently said their presence in the city was illegal. The Guard troops were apparently ambushed, officials said, while patrolling in broad daylight in a busy downtown corridor typically packed with tourists and federal workers.

“Our prayers are with these brave service members, their families, and the entire Guard community,” wrote West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey on X.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that “the animal that shot the two National Guardsmen, with both being critically wounded … will pay a very steep price".

“God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement,” he said.

As news of the shootings ricocheted around the nation, Trump, who is in Florida, appeared set on increasing the military presence in the nation’s capital in response, ordering 500 more soldiers into the city - a signal that the ongoing debate about the Guard’s presence in the city would intensify.

The attack began around 2.15pm, police said.

National Guard members were on patrol in the area of 17th and I streets NW when a man came around a corner, raised a gun and fired at some of the troops, according to DC police executive assistant chief Jeffery Carroll.

After some “back and forth”, National Guard members were able to “subdue” the suspect, Carroll said at a news conference Wednesday. The suspect was shot; police are still investigating by whom, he said. He was being treated at a local hospital, and there was no indication of other suspects, according to police.

“This is a targeted shooting - one individual that appeared to target these Guardsmen,” said DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, who offered prayers to the Guard members and their families and assured her police department would thoroughly investigate the case and assist prosecutors in pursuing accountability to “the fullest extent of the law”.

The Guard members remained hospitalised, in critical condition as of 6.30pm, according to the joint task force in charge of the mission.

National Guard troops have been stationed around DC since August, when Trump declared a “crime emergency”, temporarily seized control of the police department and ordered the troops to the city. Since then, the Guard’s role has been largely limited to patrolling various Metro stations and engaging in beautification projects on public lands, including by picking up trash. Patrolling the Farragut North and West Metro stops, near where the shooting happened, was a frequent assignment.

There were 2188 National Guard troops assigned to the DC mission as of Wednesday - 925 DC National Guard members and 1263 from other states, including 180 from West Virginia, according to the joint task force.

The deployment has caused consternation among local DC officials, who have questioned the use of military troops on American soil. DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued the Trump administration over the deployment - and recently secured a preliminary win in US District Court, where a judge ordered the administration to cease the mission on December 11 barring intervention by a higher court.

Law enforcement responds to the shooting near the White House on Wednesday. Photo / Tom Brenner, The Washington Post

The Trump administration filed a notice to the court on Tuesday that they planned to appeal the ruling, and on Wednesday it filed another emergency motion seeking to prevent the mission from being halted.

Schwalb denounced the attack on Wednesday.

“Violence is never the answer and must be swiftly condemned by all,” he wrote in a post on X. “The National Guard are volunteers. They sign up to leave their regular jobs and families at a moment’s notice to serve their country. This is a heartbreaking day for DC and our nation. My thoughts are with the victims, their families, friends, and fellow Guardsmen.”

Trump officials doubled down on the need for troops in the capital city.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters on Thursday that he had conveyed a request from Trump to send 500 additional National Guard members to the District.

“This will only stiffen our resolve to ensure that we make Washington, DC safe and beautiful,” he said, speaking to reporters while visiting troops in the Dominican Republic. “President Trump will never back down.”

Army spokesman Colonel David Butler said “we have received the request and will rapidly execute”.

As of Wednesday evening, few details were available about the alleged shooter or his motive. The FBI was assisting with the investigation, in concert with local authorities. Bowser said she had briefed Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was speaking with Trump when the mayor called.

National Guard members have been verbally threatened on numerous occasions during the DC deployment, according to court records. One night in late August, for example, troops in Northwest Washington were told by a man: “These are our streets” and “I’ll kill you”. Police later found a handgun in his waistband.

Army officials had also considered that the mission could pose some risks, acknowledging in an internal memo that it “presents an opportunity for criminals, violent extremists, issue-motivated groups and lone actors to advance their interests, given the prominence of locality, and expected media coverage for the mission”. The internal documents, made public through the ongoing lawsuit, said troops would not be allowed to leave their hotels alone and were to move in “buddy teams” for their protection because of a potential “heightened threat environment”.

People downtown said they heard the gunshots.

“It was a tat, tat, tat sound,” said Dereje Wondime, a parking attendant at a garage at H and 17th NW, a half-block away from the shooting. He then went to the corner of 17th and H streets to look up in the direction of the sound. “There were people running, just running everywhere.”

FBI Director Kash Patel speaks during a press conference after a shooting in downtown Washington, DC. Patel said two Guard troops are in critical condition. Photo / Brendan Smialowski, AFP

Nko Muntangana, an employee with the World Bank, was taking her lunch break when she heard a loud boom and a man next to her yell, “Get down, get down.”

She hid behind chairs outside of a coffee shop, listening as the gunshots continued. She saw glass shatter at the bus stop across the street. She saw what she described as a man with a “black tiny gun” pointed at the men in uniform.

Then she saw officers in black tackle the man with the gun until he was on the sidewalk.

Stacey Walters, a nurse at a doctor’s office near the Farragut West Metro stop, was on her lunch break around the time of the shooting, coming back from picking up her dry cleaning. Her Uber driver said he couldn’t get her close to her drop-off spot.

They heard sirens and saw police officers and National Guard members running to the park.

“I heard boom, boom. Two times,” she said. She looked at the park and saw children running, with adults urging them to flee. She heard someone calling for help.