National Guardsman shot while breaking up fight in DC
A National Guardsman was shot in the leg when three soldiers exchanged gunfire with the alleged suspect while trying to break up a fight on a Washington, D.C. street Sunday night. A police official said the soldier is being treated at a local hospital for “non-life threatening injuries.”
At a press conference held at the scene, Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department interim Police Chief Jeffrey Carrol said that seven or eight guardsmen were parked in a van in Southeast Washington when they saw a fight break out among “some individuals” on a nearby sidewalk and intervened.
“An individual that had been involved in the fight had pulled out a firearm and began shooting,” Carroll said. “Members of the National Guard immediately gave commands to that individual to put down the gun. That individual then pointed the weapon towards National Guard members, who returned fire to that individual.”
“Three members of the National Guard discharged firearms,” Carroll said. “Which one specifically struck the suspect in this case, we don’t know at this point.”
Carroll said both the National Guardsman and the civilian were transported to local hospitals for treatment. The other man, whom police referred to as the suspect in the incident, was shot in the abdomen, the chief confirmed.
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A Joint Task Force – District of Columbia spokesperson told Task & Purpose Monday morning that the guardsman who was treated at a hospital for gunshot wounds had been released. The official said that the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department is leading the investigation into the incident. They did not respond to inquiries about the soldier’s service record, but said they would share more information “when it is confirmed and appropriate for release.”
The Guardsmen were in Washington, D.C. as part of President Donald Trump’s mobilization of National Guard from across the U.S. to help local law enforcement fight crime in the nation’s capital. As of Saturday, more than 2,960 troops are supporting the mission, according to the Task Force. According to an ABC reporter, another 2,000 Guardsmen will deploy to Washington this spring for the NFL draft.
Less than a year ago, two National Guardsmen were shot in downtown Washington in what officials referred to as an “ambush” of the soldiers and an “offense against the U.S.” One soldier died, and the other was seriously wounded. Both received Purple Heart awards, one posthumously.
UPDATE: 10/19/2026; This article has been updated with a statement from the Joint Task Force – District of Columbia officials that the Guardsman was released from the hospital and that D.C. police are leading the investigation.
