DC shooting victim Sarah Beckstrom laid to rest in emotional funeral with full military honors

TAYLOR COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA: Sarah Beckstrom, one of the National Guard members who was fatally shot and later died in the tragic shooting event at DC, allegedly by an Afghan national, was finally laid to rest in her funeral.

The deeply emotional funeral at a cemetery in Grafton was attended by family members, fellow service members, and state officials to honor her life.

Governor Patrick Morrisey calls National Guard member's funeral deeply moving

Spc Beckstrom, who was fatally shot last month in the nation’s capital, was laid to rest with full military honors in a private ceremony on Tuesday, December 9, at the West Virginia National Cemetery in Grafton, Governor Patrick Morrisey said in a statement.

“The ceremony was deeply moving and reflected the strength, grace, and love of a remarkable young woman and the family and friends who surrounded her,” Morrisey said.

Fatal DC shooting incident

Beckstrom graduated with honors from Webster County High School in 2023 and joined the National Guard several weeks later. She served in the 863rd Military Police Company.

Beckstrom and Staff Sgt Andrew Wolfe was shot as they patrolled a subway station three blocks from the White House on November 26, allegedly by Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national.

Beckstrom died the very next day, while Wolfe remains in a hospital in Washington; he is slowly healing, and his family expects he will be in acute care for another few weeks.

Donald Trump shares heartfelt words for Sarah Beckstrom

During last week’s Christmas Tree lighting event, Trump took a moment to pay respect to the two National Guard members. He said, "I want to pay my highest respects to those two. Great Guardsmen, you know who I'm talking about. In one case, the ultimate, and the other, Andrew is getting better."

He didn’t hesitate to bring up Sarah Beckstrom's name. He said she "unfortunately, is watching from a high watching from Heaven."

Trump then turned his attention to the families. He said, "Parents are so incredible, and Andrew is hopefully getting better. You got hit hard defending us. I just want to pay my respects to them."

He wrapped up his statement by saying, "Two incredible people. Unbelievable people. I spoke with the parents and met the parents today, met the parents of Andrew, and they have spirit, and they love our country so much you wouldn't believe."

This isn’t the first time Donald Trump has spoken about Beckstrom and Wolff. He also shared his condolences on Truth Social right after the incident happened.