Judge Orders Force-Feeding for Suspect in National Guard Shooting

A federal judge has ordered Rahmanullah Lakanwal to be force-fed after the defendant refused food for months and sometimes declined water while held in government custody. The order also requires medical treatment and will remain in effect until Oct. 28, unless he resumes adequate eating and drinking and accepts care.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta said the treatment should continue to preserve Lakanwal’s life or prevent a foreseeable deterioration likely to result in death. Justice Department filings said authorities moved him to a Washington, D.C., hospital on July 9 for emergency treatment after he began refusing food in June.

Lakanwal, an Afghan national who received humanitarian parole to enter the United States in 2021, is accused of an ambush-style shooting several blocks from the White House last November. The attack killed Army SPC Sarah Beckstrom and critically wounded Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe. Both belonged to the West Virginia National Guard and had been deployed in Washington as part of an anti-crime operation.

Prosecutors also charged Lakanwal with attempting to kill two other service members who subdued him at the scene. He faces more than a dozen federal charges, including murder of a person assisting a U.S. officer and using a firearm during a violent crime that caused death. Those charges carry potential death sentences. He also faces attempted-murder and firearms charges, as well as first-degree murder, assault and gun-possession charges under D.C. law.

Lakanwal has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the reason for his refusal to eat and accept medical care remains unclear. The Justice Department is reviewing whether to pursue the death penalty.

“

preserve his life or prevent a foreseeable deterioration in his condition that if not treated is likely to lead to death.