Federal prosecutors say a man accused of shooting two National Guard soldiers near the White House, killing one of them, was taken to a hospital for treatment for a life-threatening medical condition after he refused to eat jail food.

WASHINGTON– A man accused of shooting two National Guard soldiers near the White House, killing one of them, was taken to a hospital for treatment for a life-threatening medical condition after he refused to eat while in custody, prosecutors said in a court filing Thursday.

Justice Department prosecutors said they learned Thursday morning that Rahmanullah Lakanwal was rushed to a hospital overnight “to receive medical treatment necessary to preserve his life.” The U.S. Marshals Service notified prosecutors last month of its concern that Lakanwal was at risk of long-term health consequences, including death, due to his “refusal to consume adequate nutrition for an extended period,” the document says.

The filing does not detail the circumstances of Lakanwal’s refusal to eat, but prosecutors noted that courts have held that prison officials can involuntarily feed “hunger striking prisoners” to save their lives.

The judge presiding over Lakanwal’s case called an emergency hearing regarding the defendant’s medical condition while he remains in federal custody. At the end of the hearing, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ordered prosecutors to submit a proposed order that would give them access to Lakanwal’s recent medical records.

Defense attorney Shelli Peterson and a spokesperson for U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office declined to comment after the hearing.

Lakanwal, an Afghan national, has pleaded not guilty to charges including first-degree murder in the November 2025 shooting that killed the West Virginia National Guard soldier. Sarah Beckstrom and the seriously injured Sgt. Andres Wolfe.

Beckstrom, 20, and Wolfe, 24, were sent from West Virginia to Washington, D.C., for increased federal law enforcement patrols that began last summer in the nation’s capital under President Donald Trump.

Lakanwal is accused of driving to the nation’s capital from Bellingham, Washington, while in possession of a stolen firearm and ambushing the two Guard members outside a subway station three blocks from the White House. Another National Guard member heard gunshots and saw Beckstrom and Wolfe fall to the ground as Lakanwal fired a gun and shouted, “Allahu Akbar!” according to a police report.

Lakanwal was shot during the confrontation and appeared remotely by video from a hospital bed in December for his first hearing before a judge. A trial date for his case has not yet been set.