President Donald Trump eviscerated the person who allegedly shot two National Guardsmen in downtown Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, saying the “animal…will pay a very steep price.”
An alleged gunman shot three people on the corners of 17th and I Street, NW, in D.C. on Wednesday at the Farragut West Metro Station, according to the New York Times. The Metropolitan Police Department confirmed by 3 p.m. that a suspect was in custody and the scene was cleared. A motive has not been announced.
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said on X that there were “conflicting reports” about the two guardsmen’s condition after he initially claimed the two had died, saying he would “provide additional updates once we receive more complete information.”
“Our prayers are with these brave service members, their families, and the entire Guard community,” he wrote.
In Trump’s Truth Social post, he said the gunman was also severely wounded. The president stationed the National Guard in the nation’s capital in August after he took federal control of the city’s police force in an attempt to crack down on crime.
“The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen, with both being critically wounded, and now in two separate hospitals, is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement. These are truly Great People. I, as President of the United States, and everyone associated with the Office of the Presidency, am with you!”
A spokesperson for D.C.’s Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department did not respond to an immediate request for comment.
Trump and Vice President JD Vance were not at the White House on Wednesday. Trump is celebrating Thanksgiving at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, while Vance on Wednesday honored military service members in Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Vance, in a speech to the service members, said the shooting was a “somber reminder that soldiers, whether they’re active duty reserve or National Guard, our soldiers, are the sword and the shield of the United States of America.”
“As a person who goes into work every single day in that building and knows that there are a lot of people who wear the uniform of the United States Army, let me just say very personally, thank them for what they’re doing,” Vance said, according to the Washington Post. “We’re grateful to them, and we’re praying that they’re going to be safe and they’re going to spend Thanksgiving with their families. God bless them.”
