Air Force Staff Sergeant Recovering Following Sustaining Gunshot Wounds in the Nation's Capital

A servicemember of the Air National Guard is on the mend after he was critically injured in an ambush-style shooting last month in the US capital.

The family of Andrew Wolfe, 24, say "the injury to his head is slowly healing and that he's starting to 'regain his familiar appearance,'" said West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey.

The family expects the Air Force staff sergeant to be in intensive treatment for the coming fortnight, and they feel hopeful about his recovery, according to the official's statement.

The serviceman was one of a pair of West Virginia National Guard members shot when a gunman opened fire not far from the White House on 26 November. His fellow guardsmember, twenty-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, succumbed to her wounds.

"Our request remains for all state residents and Americans for their thoughts and prayers!" Morrisey declared.

Morrisey attended a vigil on Friday evening for Staff Sgt Wolfe at a local secondary school in Inwood, West Virginia, where the serviceman was once a pupil.

A pastor at the vigil read a statement from the soldier's parents, Jason and Melody Wolfe.

"We know that there is a difficult journey to go," they wrote, according to regional media Metro News.

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

Previously, the state official said Staff Sgt Wolfe had acknowledged medical staff with a positive gesture and was capable of wiggle his feet.

Law enforcement have charged the suspected shooter, an Afghan national named Rahmanullah Lakanwal, with first-degree murder and assault with intent to kill.

Before coming to the United States in 2021, he was once a counterterrorism soldier in a paramilitary group that worked with American troops in the South Asian nation.

The injured airman was one of two thousand National Guard members whom President Donald Trump dispatched to the Washington DC in August as part of his policy initiative in Democratic-led cities.

Following the incident, Trump said he wanted another 500 military personnel sent to the nation's capital.

The Trump administration has also referenced the attack as a reason for further immigration crackdown measures.

They have cancelled all citizenship ceremonies for foreign nationals from a list of nations that were part of a entry restriction implemented over the recent season, including Afghanistan.