Suspect in shooting of 2 National Guard members pleads not guilty to murder, assault charges

The man accused of shooting two National Guard soldiers near the White House last week appeared virtually before a D.C. Superior Court judge on Tuesday, entering not-guilty pleas from his hospital bed. Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, is charged with first-degree murder and multiple related offenses in the attack that killed Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and critically wounded Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24. Federal prosecutors filed the case in D.C. Superior Court, reflecting the District’s unusual system in which the U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecutes both local and federal crimes. Authorities have not identified a motive. Lakanwal’s next court appearance