National Guardsman Healing After Being Shot in the Nation's Capital

A member of the National Guard is showing improvement after he was gravely wounded in an ambush-style shooting last month in the US capital.

The family of Andrew Wolfe, 24, say "his head wound is gradually improving and that he's beginning to 'regain his familiar appearance,'" said West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey.

The soldier's relatives anticipates the military non-commissioned officer to be in intensive treatment for the coming fortnight, and they feel hopeful about his recovery, said the governor.

Staff Sgt Wolfe was one of two West Virginia National Guard members shot when a shooter began shooting in proximity to the White House on November 26th. His colleague, twenty-year-old his counterpart, succumbed to her wounds.

"We continue to ask all state residents and Americans for their prayers!" the governor said.

Morrisey was present at a candlelight gathering on Friday evening for Staff Sgt Wolfe at Musselman High School in his hometown, where the serviceman was once a pupil.

A pastor at the vigil read a message from the soldier's parents, Jason and Melody Wolfe.

"It is clear to us that there is a long road to go," they wrote, as reported by regional media outlets.

"However our belief keeps us optimistic. We remain thankful for the well-wishes and the encouragement from people all over the globe."

Earlier in the week, the governor said the serviceman had responded to a nurse with a positive gesture and was able to wiggle his feet.

Law enforcement have charged the suspected shooter, an individual from Afghanistan named Rahmanullah Lakanwal, with premeditated homicide and assault with intent to kill.

Before coming to the United States in 2021, he was once a counterterrorism soldier in a CIA-backed unit that worked with US forces in Afghanistan.

Staff Sgt Wolfe was one of two thousand National Guard members whom President Donald Trump deployed to the Washington DC in August as part of his immigration and crime-related crackdown in Democratic-led cities.

In the aftermath of the shooting, the former president said he desired an additional five hundred National Guard troops deployed to the District of Columbia.

The Trump administration has also referenced the attack as a justification for further restrictive policies.

They have cancelled all citizenship ceremonies for foreign nationals from 19 countries that were part of a entry restriction announced over the summer, among them the suspect's home country.