Suspect in DC shooting of 2 National Guard members formally charged with murder
A makeshift memorial of flowers and American flags stands outside the Farragut West Metro station on December 01, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the 29-year-old Afghan national accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members, killing one, in Washington, D.C., has been formally charged with murder.
Lakanwal, of Bellingham, Washington, appeared before a judge remotely on Tuesday from his hospital bed, where he is recovering from gunshot wounds he suffered when another National Guard member shot him during the incident.
Lakanwal was wearing a hospital gown and was lying in a hospital bed, covered in a blanket, during the remote court appearance.
Through a Pashtu interpreter, Lakanwal was charged with one count of murder, two counts of assault with the intent to kill and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
Lakanwal pleaded not guilty to the charges through a court-appointed attorney.
At one point during the hearing, Lakanwal, speaking in Pashtu, said through the interpreter, “I cannot open my eyes, I have pain in my ear.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
The Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office released this image of a man in connection with a homicide, Feb. 2, 2026, in rural Momence near the Illinois/Indiana border. (Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office)
(MOMENCE, Ill.) — Investigators are searching for a man believed to be behind the fatal shooting of a rural bar owner in Momence, Illinois.
Courtney Drysdale, 30, was pronounced dead at a bar near the Illinois-Indiana state line on Monday shortly before noon, according to the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators have released photos of the suspect and his vehicle that were captured by security footage at the bar.
Deputies responded to a report of a possible dead individual and classified the incident as a homicide based on evidence gathered during a preliminary examination on Monday, according to the sheriff’s office.
Drysdale was preparing to open the bar just before 11 a.m. when a suspect entered the bar and brandished a firearm, demanding money from the cash register, Kankakee County Sheriff Mike Downey said at a press conference Tuesday.
Despite Drysdale’s cooperation, the suspect allegedly shot her twice “execution style,” Downey said.
Before fleeing the scene, the suspect attempted to remove what he believed was a digital recording device from a wall, but investigators were able to recover video evidence, Downey said.
No one else was in the bar at the time of the killing, Downey said.
The suspect was seen leaving the scene with a firearm and is believed to be armed and dangerous, according to Downey. The suspect was last seen traveling east toward Indiana in a white Ford or BMW sedan, with a sunroof and “distinctive dark rims,” Downey said.
Investigators are reviewing footage from the bar to determine if the suspect had previously been to the bar, according to Downey.
A $5,000 reward is being offered to anyone who can help positively identify the person or vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office. Anyone who sees the suspect is asked to keep their distance and contact authorities.
Anyone who has information related to the murder is asked to contact CrimeStoppers at (815) 932-7463.
“Courtney was deeply loved not only by her family and her young daughter, but also by the many patrons and friends whose lives she touched,” Downey said.
“We are fully committed to bringing the person responsible to justice,” Downey said.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One on November 16, 2025, at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida. Trump spent the weekend at his Mar-A-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The White House released the results of President Donald Trump’s recent advanced imaging tests on Monday, describing them as “perfectly normal.”
The memo from Dr. Sean Barbabella, physician to the president, said Trump underwent the scans during a medical examination in October “because men in his age group benefit from a thorough evaluation of cardiovascular and abdominal health” and that the tests are “preventative.”
Barbabella said the imaging helps confirm Trump’s overall health and identifies any early issues before they become serious.
Although Trump referred to the tests as an MRI, Barbarella did not use the term in his memo.
The cardiac imaging test, which looks at the heart and its blood vessels, showed no evidence of arterial narrowing, Barbabella wrote. Arterial narrowing is a condition that occurs when plaque builds up and reduces blood flow, causing symptoms including chest pain and shortness of breath.
Additionally, Trump’s cardiac scan did not show abnormalities in the heart or major vessels, according to Barbabella, and his heart chambers were described as normal in size with no signs of inflammation or clotting.
When the chambers of the heart are either too big or too small, this can cause the organ to work harder than usual to pump blood throughout the body.
“Overall, his cardiovascular system shows excellent health,” Barbabella wrote.
Barbabella also wrote in the memo that Trump’s abdominal imaging scan was normal with all major organs appearing healthy and well-perfused, meaning with a high blood flow relative to their size.
“Everything evaluated is functioning within normal limits with no acute or chronic concerns,” he wrote. “This level of detailed assessment is standard for an executive physical at President Trump’s age and confirms that he remains in excellent overall health.”
Trump said during a gaggle with reporters on Air Force One in late October that he received an MRI as part of “advanced imaging” tests at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, but didn’t answer questions on what the scan was for.
On Sunday, Trump said he was fine with the MRI results being released, but was unsure of the area of the body that was scanned.
“So, if they want to release it, it’s okay with me to release it. It’s perfect,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “But if you want to have it released, I’ll release it, absolutely.”
When asked which body part received MRI scanning, Trump replied, “I have no idea. It was just an MRI — what part of the body? It wasn’t the brain, because I took a cognitive test and I aced it.”
LONDON — U.S. Southern Command announced on Wednesday that American forces struck another alleged drug vessel in the Eastern Pacific, killing four people the command described as “narco-terrorists.”
Wednesday’s strike was the 26th since such operations began on Sept. 2. The total death toll as reported by the Pentagon now stands at 99 people.
SOUTHCOM said the “lethal kinetic strike” was launched at the direction of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Joint Task Force Southern Spear.
“Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” the statement added. “A total of four male narco-terrorists were killed, and no U.S. military forces were harmed.”
A video posted alongside the statement showed a vessel in motion before it was hit by an explosion. The video then cut to show a stationary vessel on fire.