National Guardsman Recovering After Being Shot in the Nation's Capital
A servicemember of the Air National Guard is on the mend after he was critically injured in an ambush-style shooting last month in the US capital.
The parents of Andrew Wolfe, 24, report "the injury to his head is gradually improving and that he's starting to 'look more like himself,'" said West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey.
The soldier's relatives expects the military non-commissioned officer to be in intensive treatment for the next two to three weeks, and they feel hopeful about his progress, said the governor.
Staff Sgt Wolfe was one of two West Virginia National Guard members injured by gunfire when a gunman opened fire in proximity to the presidential residence on 26 November. His fellow guardsmember, 20-year-old his counterpart, died from her injuries.
"We continue to ask all state residents and the nation's citizens for their thoughts and prayers!" Morrisey declared.
The governor attended a candlelight gathering on Friday evening for Staff Sgt Wolfe at Musselman High School in Inwood, West Virginia, where the serviceman was once a student.
A clergyman at the vigil read a message from the guardsman's mother and father, Jason and Melody Wolfe.
"We know that there is a long road to go," they expressed, as reported by local news outlet outlets.
"But our faith keeps us optimistic. We remain grateful for the prayers and the support from people all over the world."
Earlier in the week, the state official said Staff Sgt Wolfe had acknowledged medical staff with a positive gesture and was able to wiggle his feet.
Law enforcement have formally accused the suspected shooter, an Afghan national named Rahmanullah Lakanwal, with first-degree murder and attempted murder.
Prior to his arrival to the United States in 2021, he was once a counterterrorism soldier in a paramilitary group that worked with US forces in Afghanistan.
The injured airman was one of two thousand militia personnel whom President Donald Trump dispatched to the nation's capitol in August as part of his policy initiative in urban centers.
Following the incident, the former president said he desired another 500 National Guard troops deployed to the District of Columbia.
The Trump administration has also cited the shooting as a reason for additional immigration crackdown measures.
They have cancelled all citizenship ceremonies for foreign nationals from a list of nations that were part of a entry restriction announced over the summer, including the suspect's home country.