The community member who raised concerns about him said they were shocked to see his name in the news. They remembered him as a father who played with his young sons and said they never imagined he would harm someone else.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan man accused of shooting two National Guard members near the White House last week, had been struggling for a long time. People who knew him say he could not keep a job, often stayed alone in a dark room for days, and then suddenly left on long road trips across the country. A community advocate who worked with Afghan families even reached out to a refugee organisation earlier this year because they feared he might harm himself.
Emails reviewed by the Associated Press show months of warnings about his behaviour and emotional health. These messages give a clearer picture of how difficult his life had become in the United States.
Shock after the attack
The shooting took place on Wednesday, just before Thanksgiving. West Virginia National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was killed, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, was critically injured. Lakanwal, 29, has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
The community member who raised concerns about him said they were shocked to see his name in the news. They remembered him as a father who played with his young sons and said they never imagined he would harm someone else.
Before coming to the US Lakanwal served in a special Afghan Army โZero Unit,โ which worked closely with US forces. He arrived in America in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome after the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan.
He moved to Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five young sons. But emails sent to the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) show he was not adjusting well.
A January 2024 email said he had stopped working in March 2023 and had struggled ever since. It described long periods when he stayed alone in a dark room, talking to no one not even his wife or older children. The family even faced eviction because rent went unpaid for months.
Sometimes he showed improvement, trying to reconnect with state services and fulfill requirements tied to his resettlement. But the emails describe sudden โmanicโ periods when he would drive across the country without stopping, including trips to Chicago and Arizona.
Concerns for his family
Emails also raised concerns about the wellbeing of the children. When his wife left town for a week to visit family, the children were reportedly not bathed, their clothes were not changed, and they were not eating well. Their school also noticed problems.
At times, his younger children had to deliver messages to him because he would not respond to adults in the home. After receiving the warning emails, USCRI staff visited Bellingham in March 2024 to check on him and his family. The community advocate said they never heard back and believed Lakanwal had refused help.