National Guardsman Recovering After Sustaining Gunshot Wounds in the Nation's Capital

A member of the National Guard is on the mend after he was gravely wounded in an targeted attack last month in the US capital.

The parents of the 24-year-old soldier, 24, report "the injury to his head is slowly healing and that he's starting to 'look more like himself,'" 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, according to the official's statement.

Staff Sgt Wolfe was one of a pair of state guardsmen shot when a shooter began shooting not far from the presidential residence on 26 November. His colleague, 20-year-old his counterpart, died from her injuries.

"We continue to ask all state residents and the nation's citizens for their prayers!" the governor said.

The governor was present at a candlelight gathering on Friday evening for the injured soldier at Musselman High School in Inwood, West Virginia, where the guardsman was once a student.

A pastor at the vigil read a message from the soldier's parents, his family.

"We know that there is a difficult journey to go," they expressed, as reported by regional media Metro News.

"But our faith keeps us optimistic. We remain thankful for the prayers and the encouragement from people all over the world."

Earlier in the week, the state official said the serviceman had responded to a nurse with a thumbs-up and was able to wiggle his feet.

Police have charged the suspected shooter, an individual from Afghanistan named Rahmanullah Lakanwal, with first-degree murder and assault with intent to kill.

Prior to his arrival to the US in 2021, he was once a member of a special forces unit in a paramilitary group that operated alongside US forces in Afghanistan.

Staff Sgt Wolfe was one of 2,000 National Guard members whom President Donald Trump deployed to the nation's capitol in last summer as part of his policy initiative in urban centers.

Following the shooting, Trump said he wanted an additional five hundred National Guard troops deployed to the District of Columbia.

The Trump administration has also cited the shooting as a justification for additional restrictive policies.

They have cancelled all citizenship ceremonies for foreign nationals from 19 countries that were part of a travel ban announced over the recent season, among them Afghanistan.