The Afghan man accused of shooting two National Guard members last week had been mentally declining for years, according to emails reviewed by The Associated Press that detailed long stretches of isolation, escalating instability and sudden cross-country trips that preceded the attack blocks from the White House.
The AP reported that 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal had drawn concern for months, with interviews and records showing him dropping out of work, slipping into long periods of silence and taking abrupt road trips ahead of the shooting.
One email cited by the AP warned that “Rahmanullah has not been functional as a person, father and provider since March of last year,” describing how he quit his job, shut himself in a “darkened room” for days and stopped responding even to his wife and older children.
The emails showed that an advocate feared he might harm himself but said they never saw signs suggesting he might become violent toward others.
The emails also described how he alternated between “periods of dark isolation and reckless travel,” including trips to Chicago, Arizona and eventually Washington, D.C., shortly before the shooting.
The swings reportedly intensified as he abandoned English classes, drifted in and out of short-term jobs and left his children arriving at school unbathed or wearing the same clothes for days.
In one email cited by the AP, the advocate wrote that attempts to correct course often “quickly evolved into ‘manic’ episodes for one or two weeks at a time, where he will take off in the family car, and drive nonstop,” leaving his wife to repeatedly manage the fallout.
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Staff from the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants visited Bellingham in March 2024 after receiving the warnings, but the AP reported the effort led to no meaningful contact and left the advocate believing he declined the organization’s help.
Authorities say his deterioration culminated the night before Thanksgiving when he allegedly opened fire near the White House, killing West Virginia National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and critically injuring Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24.
The shooting stunned Washington and raised new questions about how concerns stretching back more than a year failed to prompt intervention.
The FBI – led by FBI Director Kash Patel – continues to examine potential motives, and investigators have not confirmed any ideological influence, according to the AP.
Before arriving in the U.S. in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, Lakanwal served in a Zero Unit of the Afghan Army, a force backed by the CIA.
Advocates working with Afghan evacuees said some former members of those units carried deep trauma from years of conflict, though it remains unclear whether that history played a role in Lakanwal’s behavior in the U.S.
The advocate who sought help for him spoke on condition of anonymity and told the AP they were shocked to learn he was the suspect, recalling moments when he played gently with his young sons despite his mounting problems at home.
They are now cooperating with investigators as authorities review his final months and consider how the warnings fit into the broader failures preceding the shooting.
Lakanwal has been charged with first-degree murder, and Wolfe remains hospitalized as the investigation continues.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
