A National Guard member was wounded late Sunday night in Washington, D.C., after Guard members intervened in a fight.
A suspect in the shooting not far from the U.S. Capitol was wounded.
Neither individual sustained life-threatening injuries, interim D.C. Police Chief Jeffrey Carroll said, according to CBS News.
National Guard members had been in a van when, shortly after 11 p.m., they saw a fight in progress.
NEW: DC National Guard Member Shot in Leg While Breaking Up Fight Near Eastern Market
Late Sunday night seven to eight National Guard members who were in a van in the 400 block of 8th Street SE near the Eastern Market metro station, observed a fight break out on the sidewalk outside an establishment. They exited the vehicle to intervene and attempt to separate the parties.
An adult male involved in the fight drew a firearm and began shooting. National Guard members ordered him to drop the gun. He pointed the weapon toward them, and three Guardsmen returned fire near an alleyway. One National Guard member was struck in the leg. The suspect was struck in the abdomen.
Both individuals sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Video by @noturtlesoup17 | Licensing @FreedomNTV Desk@freedomnews.tv
— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) October 19, 2026
Seven or eight personnel exited the van to break up the fight, according to the New York Post.
“They exited their vehicle to try to intervene to try to stop the fight from occurring when they heard gunshots,” Carroll said, according to the Associated Press.
“An individual that had been involved in the fight had pulled out a firearm and began shooting,” he said.
The person fled down an alley, Carroll said. Guard members called for the person to drop the weapon.
“The individual then pointed the weapon toward National Guard members, who returned fire,” Carroll said.
🚨BREAKING:
🇺🇸 National Guardsman and suspect both SHOT on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
The shooting happened on 8th Street SE, in the Barracks Row area, with witnesses reporting multiple gunshots and a heavy police response.
Preliminary reports say the Guardsman was hit in the right leg, while the suspect was shot in the abdomen.
Neither man’s condition has been released yet.
It comes less than a year after 2 West Virginia Guardsmen were ambushed near the White House, leaving 1 of them dead.
Sources: @DCPoliceDept, KMNONSCENE / Writer: Julie
https://t.co/LWABwhHs5E— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) October 19, 2026
The shooter was hit in the abdomen.
Three National Guard members “discharged firearms,” he said, according to Fox News.
Should the National Guard’s presence in D.C. be increased due to rising crime?
The National Guard has been deployed to Washington since August 2025 to crack down on violent crime.
In November 2025, two Guard members were shot in D.C. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national, was arrested.
In that incident, West Virginia National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom died of her wounds on Thanksgiving Day.
West Virginia Air National Guard member Andrew Wolfe was wounded.
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