A federal judge ordered the man accused of fatally shooting a National Guard member and severely injuring another in Washington, D.C., last year to be force-fed and receive medical treatment following a monthslong refusal to eat and sometimes drink water while in government custody.
In a court order dated Saturday, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ordered Rahmanullah Lakanwal to be forcibly fed to “preserve” his life “or prevent a foreseeable deterioration in his condition that if not treated is likely to lead to death.”
Lakanwal, the judge ordered, is subject to the treatment “until adequate oral intake of food and liquid and adequate acceptance of medical treatment is achieved and defendant’s life is no longer threatened.”
In court filings last month, the Justice Department said Lakanwal was moved to a D.C. hospital on July 9 on an “emergency basis” to receive “medical treatment necessary to preserve his life” after he had refused to eat starting in June as he awaits trial.
Mehta’s order will remain in effect until Oct. 28.
U.S. Attorney’s Office via AP 
Lakanwal — an Afghan national who received humanitarian parole to enter the U.S. in 2021 — is accused of killing Army SPC Sarah Beckstrom and critically wounding Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe in an ambush-style shooting several blocks from the White House last November. He was also charged with attempting to kill two other unnamed service members who subdued him at the scene of the attack.
Beckstrom and Wolfe were members of the West Virginia National Guard who were deployed to the streets of D.C. last year as part of an anti-crime operation.
It’s unclear why Lakanwal is refusing food and medical care. His attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lakanwal is facing more than a dozen federal charges for the attack, including murder of a person assisting an officer of the United States and discharge of a firearm during a violent crime that causes death, both of which are death penalty-eligible. He also is facing attempted murder and firearm charges, along with first-degree murder, assault and gun possession charges under D.C. law. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The Justice Department has said it is reviewing whether to seek the death penalty in Lakanwal’s case.
