D.C. National Guard Shooting Suspect Exhibited โขIsolation,โ Mental Health Struggles in Months Leading Up to Attack, โคEmails Show
WASHINGTON – The suspect in the recent shooting near the White โHouse, who has been identified asโฃ a member of โthe D.C. National Guard, displayed prolonged periods of isolation and reportedโข struggles with mental health in the months preceding the incident, according to emails reviewed by CBS News. The revelationsโ raise questions aboutโข screening processes and supportโฃ systems forโค National Guardโฃ members deployed to Washington, D.C.
The emails,dating back to 2024,detail concerns about the suspect’s well-being and โbehavior. Sources familiar with the correspondence indicateโข he spent “weeks on end” isolating himself and expressedโค difficulties with his mental health. This information emerged as investigators continue to probe the motive behind the โขshooting, which left two National Guard โขmembers injured.
The suspect, who sought asylum in the U.S.โข in December 2024 and was granted it in April 2025,underwent extensiveโค vetting – including background checks,social media reviews,and in-person interviews – as part of the asylum process.Despite this, concerns about his mental state persisted, according to the reviewed emails.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed the suspect wasโค “radicalized as he’s been here in this country,” suggesting connections to his home community.Though, an early review of his social media and messaging channelsโค has not revealed โlinks to foreign โhandlers or extremist groups, according to multiple U.S. officials.
Shawn VanDiver, president of AfghanEvac, a nonprofit โคadvocating for Afghan resettlement, โemphasized that the incident does not reflect the broader Afghan community, โwhich “continues to contribute across the United states and undergoes some of the most โextensiveโค vetting of anyโข immigrant population.”
The suspect remains hospitalized,sedated and on a ventilator,complicating investigative efforts to interview him. U.S. intelligence analysts are currently examining his communications and online activity for โคany signs of international coordination or ideological radicalization.
