Key facts
- A judge authorized involuntary feeding and medical treatment for Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
A judge has authorized involuntary medical treatment, including feeding, for Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who is jailed on charges of fatally shooting two National Guard troops near the White House. Lakanwal had stopped eating and was rushed to the hospital.
The ruling addresses the legal and ethical complexities of providing medical care to inmates who refuse life-sustaining treatment, balancing the state's interest in preserving life against an individual's right to refuse medical intervention.
A judge has authorized involuntary medical treatment, including feeding, for Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who is jailed on charges of fatally shooting two National Guard troops near the White House. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta agreed on Saturday to order "nonconsensual" nutrition and medical treatment for Lakanwal, who was rushed to a hospital in July after he stopped eating.
Mehta stated that federal Bureau of Prisons medical staff can feed Lakanwal intravenously or through a medical tube to save his life. Redacted court filings have not specified a reason for Lakanwal's refusal to eat, but prosecutors noted that courts have held that prison officials can involuntarily feed "hunger-striking prisoners."
Justice Department prosecutors had asked Mehta to order the emergency life-saving measures for Lakanwal. Defense attorney Shelli Peterson declined to elaborate on Lakanwal's medical condition and care.
Lakanwal, an Afghan national residing in Bellingham, Washington, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges. The November 2025 shooting killed West Virginia National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and critically wounded Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe. Beckstrom, 20, and Wolfe, 24, were deployed to Washington as part of President Donald Trump’s law-enforcement surge in the nation’s capital.
According to prosecutors, Lakanwal ambushed the Guard members outside a subway station three blocks from the White House. Another National Guard member reported hearing gunshots and seeing Beckstrom and Wolfe fall as Lakanwal fired a gun and screamed, “Allahu Akbar!” Lakanwal was shot during the confrontation and made his initial court appearance from a hospital bed last year.