WV Gov Retracts Announcement National Guard Troops Died, Says ‘Now Receiving Conflicting Reports’

(Bryan Dozier for AP)

West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey (R) retracted his statement that the two National Guard troops who were shot in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday were killed, saying in a post twenty-two minutes later he was “receiving conflicting reports” on their condition.

Morrisey said he will “provide additional updates once we receive more complete information. Our prayers are with these brave service members, their families, and the entire Guard community.”

That post was made at 4:04 p.m. He had posted on X a moment earlier, “It is with great sorrow that we can confirm both members of the West Virginia National Guard who were shot earlier… have passed away from their injuries.”

FBI Director Kash Patel, while speaking to the press around 4:50 p.m., said the two troops were in critical condition.

CBS News White House correspondent Weijia Jiang reported it was an “ambush attack,” according to two federal law enforcement sources.

President Donald Trump, about 30 minutes after the troops were shot, posted that the “animal” who shot them “will pay a very steep price.” The suspected shooter is in custody, and the president said he was “severely wounded.”

Fox News Washington correspondent Mark Meredith, who reported live from the scene, said it was “pure chaos,” with cops, troops, and firemen both patrolling and securing the area.

Meredith reported he saw four troops “standing in disbelief, trying to understand what happened to two of their colleagues.”

The White House was locked down in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, which happened just a block away from the building. President Trump was in Florida to celebrate Thanksgiving when the shooting happened.

“God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement. These are truly Great People,” Trump said in his aforementioned post. “I, as President of the United States, and everyone associated with the Office of the Presidency, am with you!”

No details on the suspected shooter have been released by 4:15 p.m. ET on Wednesday.