National Guardsman Recovering Following Sustaining Gunshot Wounds in the Nation's Capital
A servicemember of the National Guard is showing improvement after he was gravely wounded in an ambush-style shooting last month in the US capital.
The parents of Andrew Wolfe, 24, report "his head wound is slowly healing and that he's starting to 'look more like himself,'" stated West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey.
The soldier's relatives expects the military non-commissioned officer to be in acute care for the coming fortnight, and they feel hopeful about his recovery, said the governor.
Staff Sgt Wolfe was one of two state guardsmen shot when a gunman opened fire not far from the White House on November 26th. His fellow guardsmember, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, died from her injuries.
"Our request remains for all West Virginians and Americans for their thoughts and prayers!" the governor said.
The governor attended a candlelight gathering on Friday evening for the injured soldier at a local secondary school in his hometown, where the guardsman was once a student.
A pastor at the vigil read a message from the soldier's parents, Jason and Melody Wolfe.
"It is clear to us that there is a long road to go," they expressed, according to regional media outlets.
"But our faith keeps us hopeful. We remain grateful for the well-wishes and the encouragement from people all over the world."
Previously, the governor said Staff Sgt Wolfe had acknowledged medical staff with a positive gesture and was capable of wiggle his feet.
Law enforcement have formally accused the suspected shooter, an individual from Afghanistan named Rahmanullah Lakanwal, with first-degree murder and assault with intent to kill.
Prior to his arrival to the United States in two years ago, he was once a member of a special forces unit in a paramilitary group that worked with US forces in Afghanistan.
Staff Sgt Wolfe was one of 2,000 militia personnel whom the former president dispatched to the Washington DC in August as part of his policy initiative in urban centers.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the former president said he wanted an additional five hundred National Guard troops sent to the nation's capital.
The Trump administration has also cited the attack as a justification for further immigration crackdown measures.
They have cancelled all citizenship ceremonies for foreign nationals from 19 countries that were part of a travel ban implemented over the recent season, among them the suspect's home country.
