Guardsman wounded in shooting can now breathe on his own as doctors hail ‘miraculous’ recovery

CNN More than two weeks after being shot in the head in Washington DC National Guard Staff Sargent Andrew Wolfe is breathing on his own and can stand with assistance according to MedStar Washington Hospital Center Those are significant milestones that reflect his strength and determination explained Dr Jeffrey Mai a neurosurgeon at the hospital Mai called Wolfe s progress extraordinary and announced in a declaration Based on these improvements he is now ready to transition from acute care to inpatient rehabilitation as the next step in his recovery journey While the guardsman is still in the early phase of healing Mai announced his progress gives us every reason to feel hopeful about what lies ahead Mai also shared new details about how Wolfe was treated without delay after he and fellow Guard member Sarah Beckstrom were shot at close range near the Farragut West Metro station in DC on the day before Thanksgiving Wolfe was airlifted to the hospital in the crucial minutes after the attack Thanks to the immediate response of urgency personnel and the exceptional care provided by our trauma and neurosurgery teams he received lifesaving cure including exigency surgery to control bleeding and relieve pressure on his brain Mai declared Beckstrom died on Thanksgiving Day as a conclusion of her wounds Wolfe s parents Melody and Jason Wolfe praised the medicinal staff who took care of their son after the attack We are so grateful to the MedStar Washington Hospital Center the staff the doctors and nurses that have cared for Andy these first sparse weeks they declared in a message The care has been remarkable and they have informed us Andy s progress is miraculous Wolfe s parents thanked Andy s military family his hometown public and the people across the nation for their patronage as he begins a long and tough rehabilitation We know he will continue to improve at a rapid pace and know your prayers are making the difference they added Wolfe Beckstrom and other National Guard members were performing high visibility patrols when a man approached them at about p m on November and started shooting at them Jeffrey Carroll Executive Assistant Chief of the Metropolitan Washington Police mentioned in November Carroll revealed after specific back and forth fellow Guard members were able to subdue him and take him into custody The suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal an Afghan national who had previously worked with US military and intelligence units in Afghanistan has pleaded not guilty to charges including premeditated murder and assault with intent to kill Jeanine Pirro US Attorney for Washington DC has stated Rahmanullah drove his truck across country from the state of Washington with the intended target of coming to our nation s capital