Air Force Staff Sergeant Healing After Being Shot in Washington DC
A servicemember of the Air National Guard is on the mend after he was gravely wounded in an ambush-style shooting last month in Washington DC.
The parents of the 24-year-old soldier, 24, report "his head wound is gradually improving and that he's starting to 'regain his familiar appearance,'" said West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey.
The family anticipates the Air Force staff sergeant to be in acute care for the next two to three weeks, and they feel optimistic about his progress, said the governor.
The serviceman was one of two state guardsmen injured by gunfire when a shooter began shooting not far from the White House on 26 November. His fellow guardsmember, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, died from her injuries.
"We continue to ask all West Virginians and Americans for their prayers!" the governor said.
Morrisey attended a vigil on Friday evening for Staff Sgt Wolfe at a local secondary school in his hometown, where the serviceman was once a student.
A pastor at the event shared a statement from the soldier's parents, Jason and Melody Wolfe.
"We know that there is a long road to go," they expressed, as reported by regional media Metro News.
"But our belief keeps us hopeful. We remain grateful for the prayers and the encouragement from people all over the globe."
Earlier in the week, the governor said Staff Sgt Wolfe had responded to a nurse with a thumbs-up and was able to wiggle his feet.
Police have formally accused the alleged gunman, an Afghan national named the suspect, with first-degree murder and assault with intent to kill.
Before coming 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 2,000 militia personnel whom President Donald Trump deployed to the nation's capitol in August as part of his policy initiative in urban centers.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Trump said he wanted another 500 military personnel sent to the nation's capital.
The Trump administration has also referenced the shooting as a reason for additional immigration crackdown measures.
They have halted naturalization proceedings for foreign nationals from a list of nations that were part of a entry restriction announced over the recent season, including the suspect's home country.
