Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, announced first-degree murder charges Friday against the suspect in the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., as she lashed out at critics of President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy troops to the nation’s capital.

In an interview with “News & Friends,” Pirro confirmed that one of the members who was shot remains in critical condition, while the other died from her injuries on Thursday.

Pirro told News that the suspect in the case would be “charged with first-degree murder” following the death.

“There will certainly be many more charges to come, but we are upgrading the initial charges of assault to first-degree murder,” he added.

Meanwhile, Pirro addressed criticism of Trump’s decision to deploy troops to Washington, saying Americans “should be grateful” that Trump is prepared to take such swift action to keep them safe.

“There’s a part of me that thinks the left is disappointed that the National Guard didn’t shoot someone,” Pirro said.

“People should be grateful that the president of the United States has taken crime in this country so seriously that he is bringing in our law enforcement partners so we can protect innocent citizens,” he added.

More than 2,000 National Guard troops were deployed to the capital in August after Trump signed an executive order declaring a crime emergency in the city, despite crime statistics showing otherwise. Troops have been seen patrolling tourist sites, Metro stations and collecting trash. Following Wednesday’s shooting, Trump ordered the deployment of 500 additional members.

Military commanders had expressed concerns about the deployment earlier this year, warning that the mission could be viewed as “a target of opportunity,” according to internal directives distributed to National Guard troops, The New York Times reported.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro speaks during a press conference on November 27, 2025 in Washington, DC.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro speaks during a press conference on November 27, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Andrew Leyden via Getty Images

Pirro has staunchly defended Trump’s executive order.

“I don’t even want to talk about whether [the troops] should have been there,” the former News man said during a press conference Thursday. “We should kiss the ground and thank God that the president said it’s time to bring in more law enforcement to make sure that a city that had the fourth-highest homicide rate in the country… that that violence was quelled.”

During his interview with News, Pirro also took advantage of the fact that the suspect entered the US legally under a resettlement program implemented by the Biden administration following the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, alleging that the former president’s team did not conduct adequate checks on the suspect before authorizing him to enter the US.

“If you think there was a background investigation, I have a bridge to sell you,” Pirro said without citing any evidence to support his claims.

Notably, Pirro also failed to mention that the suspect was granted asylum this year under the Trump administration.

The former News host said it was too early to explain the shooter’s motive and noted that the investigation continues.