(CNN) — More than two weeks after being shot in the head in Washington, DC, National Guard Staff Sargent Andrew Wolfe, 24, is breathing on his own and can stand with assistance, according to MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
Those are “important milestones that reflect his strength and determination,” said Dr. Jeffrey Mai, a neurosurgeon at the hospital.
Mai called Wolfe’s progress extraordinary and said in a statement, “Based on these improvements, he is now ready to transition from acute care to inpatient rehabilitation as the next step in his recovery journey.”
While the guardsman is still in the early phase of healing, Mai said, “his progress gives us every reason to feel hopeful about what lies ahead.”
Mai also shared new details about how Wolfe was treated immediately after he and fellow Guard member Sarah Beckstrom were shot at close range near the Farragut West Metro station in DC on the day before Thanksgiving.
Wolfe was airlifted to the hospital in the crucial minutes after the attack.
“Thanks to the immediate response of emergency personnel and the exceptional care provided by our trauma and neurosurgery teams, he received lifesaving treatment, including emergency surgery to control bleeding and relieve pressure on his brain,” Mai said. Beckstrom, 20, died on Thanksgiving Day as a result of her wounds.
Wolfe’s parents, Melody and Jason Wolfe, praised the medical staff who took care of their son after the attack.
“We are so grateful to the MedStar Washington Hospital Center, the staff, the doctors and nurses that have cared for Andy these first few weeks,” they said in a statement. “The care has been remarkable, and they have told us Andy’s progress is miraculous.”
Wolfe’s parents thanked “Andy’s military family, his hometown community, and the people across the nation” for their support “as he begins a long and tough rehabilitation.”
“We know he will continue to improve at a rapid pace and know your prayers are making the difference,” they added.
Wolfe, Beckstrom and other National Guard members were performing “high visibility patrols” when a man approached them at about 2:15 p.m. on November 26, and started shooting at them, Jeffrey Carroll, Executive Assistant Chief of the Metropolitan Washington Police, said in November.
Carroll said after “some back and forth,” fellow Guard members were able to subdue him and take him into custody. The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who had previously worked with US military and intelligence units in Afghanistan, has pleaded not guilty to charges including premeditated murder and assault with intent to kill.
Jeanine Pirro, US Attorney for Washington, DC, has said Rahmanullah “drove his vehicle across country from the state of Washington with the intended target of coming to our nation’s capital.”