Left: U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta (via U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia). Right: Rahmanullah Lakanwal (U.S. Justice Department).
A man accused of shooting two National Guard members near the White House last year — killing one — can be force-fed through a feeding tube as he is allegedly on a hunger strike, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., has ruled.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 30, has been refusing “adequate nutrition and/or medical treatment” while behind bars for the “ambush” shooting death of Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and the shooting of Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, in November 2025, according to a motion filed by the U.S. Justice Department.
“Such refusal threatens his life by creating an imminent risk of death or if continued refusal would foreseeably cause a deterioration in his condition that if not treated is likely to lead to death,” the DOJ motion said.
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Over the weekend, U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta ordered that medical staff at the Bureau of Prisons and “any treatment providers/facilities where defendant Rahmanullah Lakanwal is housed provide nonconsensual nutrition and medical treatment to defendant while he is in their care, while he refuses nutrition and/or medical treatment, and while such refusal threatens his life by creating an imminent risk of death or if continued refusal would foreseeably cause a deterioration in his condition that if not treated is likely to lead to death, until adequate oral intake of food and liquid and adequate acceptance of medical treatment is achieved and defendant’s life is no longer threatened.”
Signed on Aug. 29, Mehta’s order adds:
It is further ordered that in the above circumstances, this order authorizes nonconsensual nasogastric tube feeding, intravenous feeding, and/or feeding through an already-implanted gastrostomy tube as necessary to preserve defendant Rahmanullah Lakanwal’s life or to prevent a foreseeable deterioration in his condition that if not treated is likely to lead to death; replacement, maintenance, and care of defendant’s feeding tube when medically necessary; and lab work relating to the administration of nutrition. This order does not authorize a nonconsensual gastrostomy.
Federal prosecutors say Lakanwal has refused to eat and drink water, while also rejecting the use of a feeding tube. Lakanwal’s public defenders insist he “does not wish to have nonconsensual nutrition provided.”
The defense claims that while Lakanwal “has been adamant at times that he does not wish to receive sustenance,” he has also consumed food orally at times, specifically applesauce, according to an opposition filing.
“From the medical records provided and from the government’s motion, it appears his position fluctuates,” the defense said in response to the DOJ’s emergency motion. “Counsel anticipates conferring with our client … and hopefully getting further information and, if appropriate, will make a more fulsome response to the government’s emergency motion once that occurs.”
According to federal prosecutors, Lakanwal has “refus[ed] food and, in some cases, water” since he was taken into custody on Nov. 26, 2025. As a result, his health “deteriorated quite substantially,” and in July 2026, his condition became “dire,” per the DOJ’s motion.
“During a spring 2026 hospitalization resulting from his refusal to accept food, defendant indicated … that if he became incapacitated, he consented … whatever care was necessary to preserve his life,” the motion says. “Following that hospitalization, he was returned to jail, where he again refused food.”
The DOJ also argues in the emergency motion that “because defendant is refusing nutrition and because without nutrition, his life is in danger.”
“Moreover, courts have found a rational connection between force-feeding hunger strikers and the government’s interest in orderly operations of a detention facility,” the motion continued. “Were the government to allow hunger-striking defendants to die, other inmates could infer that the government is indifferent to their well-being, and such a result would likely incite disorderly conduct.”
Lakanwal is facing multiple charges in connection with the National Guard shootings, including murder and attempted murder. Authorities shot him four times after the attack, which allegedly involved Lakanwal opening fire “without provocation” on the two victims with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver.
“Sarah Beckstrom was 20 years old, serving her country in the nation’s capital, when Rahmanullah Lakanwal allegedly drove across the country and executed her in cold blood steps from the White House,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro in a June 2026 statement. “That is not just a crime, it is a major offense against the United States. We will pursue every penalty the law permits as we seek justice for Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe.”
If convicted, Lakanwal could face the death penalty. He has pleaded not guilty.
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