Feds confirm death penalty in play for Bellingham man accused of D.C. shootings
The Bellingham man accused of shooting two National Guard members, one fatally, in Washington, D.C. in November may face the death penalty, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced Tuesday.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, was arrested Nov. 27 in connection to a double-shooting the day prior. He was charged with multiple felonies, including first-degree murder, in a D.C. court on Dec. 2 and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
His case has been transferred to U.S. District Court so the justice department “can undertake the serious, deliberate, and weighty analysis required to determine if the death penalty is appropriate here,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said.
The filing, submitted Tuesday, includes new charges for Lakanwal: transporting a firearm in interstate commerce with the intent to commit an offense punishable by imprisonment for more than one year, and transporting a stolen firearm in interstate commerce.
An affidavit from an FBI agent provided new details on Lakanwal in the months leading up to the shooting, including his illegal purchase of the gun used in the shooting.
According to court records, Lakanwal sent an unidentified person a message Oct. 15 asking for either an AR-15, a “Draco” — an AK-47-style stockless pistol — or a standard pistol. Lakanwal allegedly said he needed it to protect himself while driving for Uber, but the person said he couldn’t help.
Records showed that Lakanwal’s last ride as a Lyft driver was on May 25, and his account had been banned by Uber. A family member told officials in November that Lakanwal had been unemployed for about two months at the time of the shooting.
Lakanwal continued to ask the unidentified person — a male — for a firearm, according to court documents, and the man eventually agreed. Surveillance footage shows the two of them meeting outside Lakanwal’s Bellingham home on Nov. 14, where the other man was “extremely nervous.”
The man told Lakanwal that the .357 Smith & Wesson revolver was loaded with five rounds. Court documents indicate Lakanwal replied with something to the effect of “only five rounds?”
The day after acquiring the gun, Lakanwal bought a box of .357 caliber ammunition from Big 5 Sporting Goods in Bellingham. About two hours later, he searched “Washington, D.C.” in Google Maps, according to court documents.
Cell phone location data showed Lakanwal drove from Washington to D.C. between Nov. 16 and Nov. 22, bringing the revolver — which officials said was reported stolen in Seattle in 2023 — with him. He opened fire on two National Guard members on patrol four days later.
Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was fatally shot, and died on Nov. 27. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, was critically injured.
Prosecutors have not indicated whether they are pursuing any charges for the person who gave Lakanwal the firearm.