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- By Native News Online Staff
Breaking News. Two members of the West Virginia National Guard were shot Wednesday afternoon just blocks from the White House, state officials said, prompting a large security response in the center of the nation’s capital. The two National Guard members are in critically conidtion. The governor of West Virginia early reported the two had died, but later their conditions were listed as critical.
The shooting happened around 2:15 p.m. at 17th and H Streets NW, near the Farragut West Metro station, according to a law enforcement official. Multiple agencies moved quickly to secure the area, and a suspect was taken into custody by 3 p.m. The suspect also had been shot but sustained injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey confirmed the deaths of the two guardsmen and said the state would fully cooperate with federal investigators. Buildings near the White House — including offices and commercial spaces — briefly went into lockdown as D.C. police, the U.S. Secret Service and the Joint DC Task Force converged on the scene.
The shooting occurred as about 2,375 National Guard troops remain deployed in Washington, a presence that has been politically and legally controversial since the summer. Federal and local officials expressed condolences and said they were closely monitoring the investigation.
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