Advocate warned Afghan evacuee was 'not functional as a person' months before National Guard shooting

The Afghan man accused of shooting two National Guard members last week had been mentally declining for years, according to emails reviewed by The Associated Press that detailed long stretches of isolation, escalating instability and sudden cross-country trips that preceded the attack blocks from the White House.

The AP reported that 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal had drawn concern for months, with interviews and records showing him dropping out of work, slipping into long periods of silence and taking abrupt road trips ahead of the shooting.

One email cited by the AP warned that "Rahmanullah has not been functional as a person, father and provider since March of last year," describing how he quit his job, shut himself in a "darkened room" for days and stopped responding even to his wife and older children.