National guardsmen shooter will pay steep price, says Trump

US President Donald Trump says the shooter responsible for killing two national guardsmen will pay a steep price.

A shooting was reported near the Farragut metro station on Wednesday in Washington DC.

The White House, located about a mile from the scene, has been placed on lockdown, heightening security concerns in the area.

Dozens of emergency responders and police vehicles have gathered at the scene of the shooting, where troops have been patrolling for months.

Local police cordoned off several blocks of the surrounding area and said one suspect was in custody.

After the incident, Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, said Trump had been briefed.

Leavitt said the White House was also actively monitoring the situation.

In a Truth Social post moments later, Trump confirmed that the guardsmen were critically wounded.

“The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen, with both being critically wounded and now in two separate hospitals, is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price,” he said.

He empathised with the National Guard and all Americans.

There are an estimated 2,375 national guard troops positioned across Washington, where they have been deployed since August, when the Trump administration declared a “crime emergency” in the city and ordered them to support federal and local law enforcement.

The deployment has been extended multiple times and was reportedly ordered to continue through February 2026.

A federal judge ruled the deployment illegal but later put the ruling on hold.