Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that President Donald Trump has asked him, and he will in turn ask the Secretary of the Army, to add 500 additional guards to Washington, D.C. following today's shooting.

“This will only strengthen our resolve to ensure that Washington, D.C., is a safe and "Beautiful," Hegseth told the press during her visit to the Dominican Republic. “But if criminals want to commit violent acts like this against the finest citizens of the United States, we will never back down.”

“This happened just steps from the White House and it will not go unpunished, which is why President Trump has asked me to add 500 additional troops, members of the National Guard, to Washington, D.C.,” Hegseth said.

He said the suspect opened fire “in a cowardly and vile act directed against the best of America.”

The planned troop increase will bring the number of National Guard members deployed in the U.S. capital to more than 2,500.

Since last August, Donald Trump ordered the deployment of the National Guard to Washington, D.C. to combat crime, a measure that has been criticized by the city's Democratic authorities, who consider it disproportionate.

The Republican justified his decision by arguing that Washington's homicide rate, historically considered one of the most dangerous cities in the country, exceeds He said he was referring to cities like Bogota and Mexico City, and stated that he also seeks to remove homeless people from the streets, without specifying their destination.