Washington, D.C
Is DC home to America's liveliest cemetery?
Welcome to a spot in Southeast D.C. where you can hang out with your friends, have a cup of coffee, watch some live theater … and where 70,000 people have chosen to make their eternal resting place.
We’re wondering: Could historic Congressional Cemetery be America’s liveliest cemetery?
“We are still an active cemetery, so we’re actually still selling plots and burying people, as well as having movie nights, immersive theater,” said Jackie Spainhour, president of Congressional Cemetery. “We’re a certified 5K course. We have a writing group; we have a book club. Everything you can think of, we have tried here.”
They call it D.C.’s greatest undertaking.
In addition to its 70,000 permanent residents, the cemetery welcomed 10,000 guests to its events last year alone.
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Those events include Soul Strolls, their immersive history theater experience and guided-lantern tour.
“We have actors actually portraying the people buried here, and we usually have these thematic stories that connect them,” Director of Programming AJ Orlikoff said. “This year it blew me away. We sold out over 1,600 tickets for four nights of the event in two and a half days. Ultimately, Soul Strolls is a fun, spooky time with your friends. But you know, it’s a fun, spooky history time with your friends.”
Permanent residents include some big names from local — and national — history
Speaking of history: Cemetery residents include former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry, J. Edgar Hoover, composer John Philip Sousa and Civil War-era photographer Mathew Brady.
“I would say he’s the father of photojournalism,” Docent of the Year Rick Liebling said.
Way before selfies at events, Brady’s lens snapped Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth and President Abraham Lincoln.
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“Brady took pictures of Lincoln and made him look presidential, and Lincoln himself said, ‘Brady is the one who got me the presidency’,” Liebling told us.
Liebling also shared that he plans for Congressional to be his final resting place, too.
“But I’m comfortable knowing that there’s dogs here, and because there’s dogs here, that means people will actually walk near or around where I’m going to be. I find that somewhat comforting,” he said.
Dogs were the first to bring life back to Congressional Cemetery
Before interactive theater and movie nights and book clubs, it was dogs that brought life back to the cemetery.
“Well, I will tell you, way back around 1988 or so, it was not a real pleasant, comfortable place to come,” said Victor Romero, one of the founding members of Congressional Cemetery’s K9 Corps. “I mean, aside from the stones and the markers themselves being in various states of disrepair….”
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There were also reports of illegal activities — not the welcoming place visitors know these days.
“And we brought more life to corners of the cemetery that people had not been to in ages,” Romero said. “This is indeed the liveliest place in Washington, D.C.”
Meet a death doula (and try not to freak out)
Laura Lyster-Mensh said people usually get unsettled when she tells them what she does.
“Then they meet me and they chill out a little, but yeah, no, it sounds scary, but it’s not,” said Lyster-Mensh, the cemetery’s death doula in residence. “It’s actually about living, not dying, to do things like death cafés.”
Think of Death Café as maybe getting a latte and talking about mortality.
“We do, of course, have people here with terminal illnesses who are dying and know that their their time is very finite, but most people are coming to be in groups to talk about this relationship with death, and they’re often young,” Lyster-Mensh said. “Some come on dates.”
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“I have much optimism for these couples,” she added, laughing.
‘Every cemetery has its own kind of brand, and this is ours’
Other historic cemeteries such as Laurel Hill in Philadelphia, Green-wood in Brooklyn and Oakland in Atlanta also look toward the living for a breath of fresh air.
“We’re really on the cusp of a real cultural transformation of cemeteries as spaces, and they really are spaces for the living now, and that entails everything that the living love to do,” Orlikoff said.
But do people ever feel like a lively scene at a cemetery is too disrespectful toward the dead?
“Yeah, we get that every once in a while, people who have different cultural traditions and maybe just don’t understand,” Spainhour said. “We’re very transparent that this may not be the space for you, if this isn’t what you like. You know, every cemetery has its own kind of brand, and this is ours.”
BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The suspect accused of shooting two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., was identified as an Afghan national who lived in Bellingham, Washington.
What we know:
On Wednesday, the suspect, later identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, opened fire on two National Guard members just blocks away from the White House. The West Virginia service members, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom and 24-year-old Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, were both sworn in less than 24 hours before the attack.
National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom dies after Washington, D.C. shooting
On Thursday, President Trump revealed that Sarah Beckstrom had died. Wolfe remains in critical condition.
Washington, D.C. shooting suspect’s ties to the CIA
Dig deeper:
Authorities say Lakanwal entered the United States in September 2021 under humanitarian parole as part of the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome in the aftermath of the country’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Lakanwal was part of a CIA-associated unit in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Officials say these units were highly trusted by the CIA and played crucial roles in operations against the Taliban.
From Wednesday night into Thanksgiving morning, the FBI and federal agents executed search warrants at his home in Bellingham, Washington, where he lived with his wife and five children. Investigators seized electronic devices including laptops, cellphones and iPads as the case expands into a coast-to-coast investigation.
“All the individuals found in that house have been interviewed, and some interviews remain ongoing,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “We will not stop until we interview anyone and everyone associated with the subject, the house and every piece of his life.”
The Seattle FBI office says it is assisting the Washington office but declined to comment further.
Bellingham, WA officials respond to D.C. shooting suspect’s investigation
What they’re saying:
Bellingham’s police chief says the department immediately stepped in to support federal investigators.
“Our hearts are heavy for the two West Virginia National Guard members who were shot while on active duty yesterday in Washington D.C.,” said Bellingham Police Department Chief Rebecca Mertzig. “We stand with them, their loved ones, and all the National Guard members across the nation.
“Violence like this is horrific and unacceptable. As soon as I was notified of the situation, investigation and the possible connection to Bellingham, I called our local FBI partners to offer Bellingham Police Department’s assistance with their criminal investigation of this case. We are closely monitoring the situation for any updates.
“People who serve and protect our communities, like the two wounded West Virginia National Guard members, represent the best of what we strive for, and we honor their service, sacrifice, and courage.”
Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund also says the city is actively coordinating with investigators.
“It takes courage to say yes to the job of protecting fellow community members and protecting our country. We honor the courage of the two National Guard members who were wounded in service yesterday. There is no excuse for the heinous, violent attack they suffered.
“We are holding them and their loved ones in our hearts today, wishing them a full return to health.
“As mayor of Bellingham, I am directing local resources to be ready to support the FBI’s investigation. We share the resolve to see justice and accountability for this violent attack.
“The terrible actions committed in Washington, D.C. yesterday are the actions of one person, not a community. They don’t represent Bellingham’s values. They don’t reflect the values of either Washington. They don’t represent what makes our communities great.”
FOX 13 Reporter Alejandra Guzman spoke to some neighbors living near the suspect’s home.
“It’s less than 50 feet away from my apartment, so it kind of scares me,” said Bill Beveridge. “Who knows what can actually happen after this.”
Big picture view:
The shooting came a week after a federal judge ordered an end to the National Guard deployment in the Washington, D.C., area. President Trump has since ordered 500 additional National Guard members to the capital.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph B. Edlow has directed a full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every green card issued to immigrants from countries of concern at the direction of President Trump.
The Afghan American Cultural Association, a nonprofit, non-political community-based organization registered in Washington state, released the following statement:
“We are deeply saddened and outraged by the tragic incident in Washington, D.C., where an Afghan national shot two National Guard service members. As an organization representing Afghan Americans across Washington State, we strongly and unequivocally condemn this heinous and cowardly act. There is no justification for violence against those who protect and serve our communities.
Our thoughts, prayers, and unwavering support are with the injured National Guard troops and their families. We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them during this difficult moment and pray for their full and speedy recovery.
At the same time, we must be clear: one person’s actions do not define an entire community. Afghan Americans have built lives here grounded in safety, hard work, and service. Many of us came to the United States precisely because we fled war, extremism, and instability. We left everything behind to pursue a future rooted in peace, dignity, and opportunity.
We remain fully committed to the safety, unity, and progress of the United States, the nation that welcomed us and gave us a chance to rebuild. Afghan Americans are teachers, soldiers, doctors, business owners, neighbors, and taxpayers who contribute to the growth and resilience of this great country every single day.
We stand for peace. We stand for accountability. We stand with America.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
The Source: Information in this story came from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle, reporting by FOX News Digital, the Associated Press and officials in Bellingham, Washington.
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The suspected shooter of two national guard members in Washington DC on Wednesday worked with CIA-backed military units during the US war in Afghanistan, the agency has confirmed.
The alleged gunman, identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, came to the US in September 2021 under an Operation Allies Welcome program that gave some Afghans who had worked for the US government entry visas to the US.
Lakanwal’s ties to the Central Intelligence Agency, which worked alongside US special forces in Afghanistan, were confirmed by the CIA director, John Ratcliffe, to media outlets on Wednesday evening.
The New York Times reported that the shooting suspect had worked for several US government agencies in Afghanistan, including a CIA-backed unit in the southern province of Kandahar, a stronghold of the Taliban.
“The Biden administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States in September 2021 due to his prior work with the US government, including CIA,” Ratcliffe told Fox News digital, adding that Lakanwal’s involvement with the agency was “as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, which ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation”.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services said after the shooting that it has stopped processing residency applications from Afghan nationals.
“Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols,” the agency said on social media.
Following the shooting, Donald Trump ordered 500 additional national guard troops to Washington. The president described the shooting as an “act of terror” and called immigration “the single greatest national security threat facing our nation”.
Topline
Multiple people including at least two National Guard members were shot in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, leaving the troops in critical condition and the suspect injured.
At least one National Guard soldier was shot in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.
Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP
Key Facts
CNN noted “several people” were shot Wednesday in Washington, with AP reporting a suspect in custody was also shot and has injuries not believed to be life-threatening.
President Donald Trump said both National Guard troops were “critically wounded” and transported to separate hospitals, calling the shooting suspect an “animal.”
The Metropolitan Police Department reported a shooting Wednesday afternoon at 17th and I streets NW, just blocks from the White House.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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