Air Force Staff Sergeant Healing After Sustaining Gunshot Wounds in Washington DC

A member of the National Guard is on the mend after he was critically injured in an ambush-style shooting last month in Washington DC.

The family of the 24-year-old soldier, 24, say "his head wound is gradually improving and that he's beginning to 'look more like himself,'" said the state's chief executive the governor.

The family expects the military non-commissioned officer to be in acute care for the coming fortnight, and they feel optimistic about his progress, said the governor.

Staff Sgt Wolfe was one of two state guardsmen injured by gunfire when a shooter opened fire in proximity to the White House on 26 November. His fellow guardsmember, 20-year-old his counterpart, died from her injuries.

"Our request remains for all West Virginians and the nation's citizens for their prayers!" the governor said.

Morrisey attended a vigil on last Friday night for Staff Sgt Wolfe at Musselman High School in Inwood, West Virginia, where the serviceman was once a student.

A pastor at the vigil shared a message from the soldier's parents, his family.

"It is clear to us that there is a difficult journey to go," they wrote, according to local news outlet Metro News.

"However our belief keeps us optimistic. We remain grateful for the prayers and the encouragement from people all over the globe."

Earlier in the week, the governor said the serviceman had responded to a nurse with a thumbs-up and was able to move his toes.

Police have formally accused the suspected shooter, an Afghan national named the suspect, with premeditated homicide and attempted murder.

Prior to his arrival to the US in 2021, he was once a counterterrorism soldier in a paramilitary group that worked with US forces in Afghanistan.

Staff Sgt Wolfe was one of 2,000 National Guard members whom President Donald Trump deployed to the Washington DC in last summer as part of his policy initiative in Democratic-led cities.

In the aftermath of the shooting, Trump said he desired another 500 military personnel deployed to the District of Columbia.

The former presidential office has also cited the shooting as a justification for additional restrictive policies.

They have halted naturalization proceedings for foreign nationals from 19 countries that were part of a entry restriction announced over the summer, including the suspect's home country.