Judge authorizes involuntary feeding of jailed suspect in deadly National Guard shooting
A man accused of killing a National Guard soldier near the White House can be medically forced to eat under a judge's emergency order. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta authorized "nonconsensual" nutrition and medical treatment for Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who was hospitalized in July after stopping to eat. Federal prosecutors argued that prison staff can involuntarily feed prisoners who starve themselves, as courts have previously ruled.
Lakanwal's lawyers claimed he has consumed some food while in the hospital and is only "adamant at times" against eating. They argued the government hasn't shown his condition is severe enough to require court intervention. The order expires in October but can be extended. Lakanwal, an Afghan national, faces charges in the November 2025 shooting that killed one Guard member and critically injured another.
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