Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Friday that no West Virginia National Guard members deployed to Washington, D.C., have requested to return home in the wake of Wednesday’s shooting of two West Virginia Guard members that left one dead and the second critically wounded.
“I haven’t heard of anyone step back,” Morrisey told CBS News in an interview. “They wanted to stay. They wanted to complete the mission and serve their state and country.”
Back in August, at President Trump’s request, Morrisey was one of several Republican governors that deployed National Guard soldiers to D.C., with West Virginia sending somewhere between 300 and 400 Guard members.
According to the military’s Joint Task Force – District of Columbia, there are 180 West Virginia Guard members deployed in D.C. as of Friday. They are among about 1,300 out-of-state Guard troops that were dispatched to D.C. as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to crack down on crime in the city.
Although Mr. Trump has ordered an additional 500 Guard personnel to D.C. in response to the shooting, Morrisey repeatedly sidestepped questions on whether West Virginia troops would join that surge.
Andrew Leyden / Getty Images
And though he expressed openness towards it, Morrisey said he will not pre-judge future deployment decisions, and avoided committing additional units.
“Right now, I’m focusing on the families, the guardsmen, and healing,” the governor said. “As time evolves, I’ll keep talking with Guard leadership to make the right call.”
Still, he insisted the mission continues and should not be abandoned in the wake of the shooting.
“When evildoers come in and commit heinous acts, we can’t back down,” Morrisey said. “That’s exactly what they want.”
The suspect now faces charges of first degree murder. The former West Virginia attorney general told CBS News that the death penalty should remain “on the table.”
Twenty-year-old Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom was killed in Wednesday’s shooting, and 24-year-old Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe was critically wounded.
Morrisey, who met Beckstrom’s parents at the hospital following her death, described the young soldier as deeply respected among her unit — someone whose presence “brought positive energy to every room.”
“She was loved and respected greatly,” Morrisey said. “There’s an energy around her — people lining up to pay respects, showing sympathy, standing by their friend and the Guard.”
Wolfe, who remains in intensive care, comes from what Morrisey called “a rich tradition of service.” Wolfe’s father serves in the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office, and his grandfather earned multiple Purple Hearts. “His family asked for one thing — prayers,” Morrisey said. “He’s fighting for his life.”
Law enforcement sources told CBS News that following the ambush shooting, the suspected gunman, identified as a 29-year-old Afghan national, was stabbed with a pocketknife by a third Guard member, while a fourth returned fire and shot the suspect multiple times, ending the attack.
President Trump said Thursday that the suspect remains hospitalized in serious condition.
The governor Friday confirmed West Virginia soldiers were directly involved in subduing the alleged gunman, but withheld operational details pending a federal review. He praised their response as swift, coordinated and heroic, crediting them with preventing further casualties.
