The man accused of shooting two National Guard troops last November was admitted to GW Hospital Thursday after a federal judge said he had been refusing to eat and drink in prison while he awaits trial, according to CNN.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who once served as a partner of the U.S. government in Afghanistan, is charged with first-degree murder for fatally shooting National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, who died as a result of the attack, and attempting to kill Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, who survived the shooting, as the two Guard members patrolled outside the Farragut West Metro station the day before Thanksgiving last year. During an emergency court hearing Thursday, U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta said Lakanwal’s health had “deteriorated” and that he was admitted to the GW Hospital at midnight after he had continued to refuse food and “sometimes water” while imprisoned, according to CNN. 

Mehta said Lakanwal’s condition is “in some sense self-inflicted” because of his refusal to eat and drink.

Jocelyn Ballantine, an assistant U.S. attorney, reportedly said during the hearing the U.S. Marshals Service told prosecutors two weeks ago that there was a problem with Lankwal’s health, but she said the U.S. Attorney’s office could not access his medical records without the judge’s permission. 

Michelle Peterson, the federal public defender appointed to represent Lakanwal, said during the hearing she feared prosecutors could use Lakanwal’s protected medical history in order to get a preview of the defense’s strategy, according to the Washington Post. However, Peterson ended up agreeing to a limited release of Lakanwal’s medical records.

Peterson and GW Hospital both did not immediately return requests for comment. 

Prosecutors allege that Lakanwal drove from Washington state to D.C. with the intention of carrying out the November ambush style attack using a .375-caliber revolver. During the incident, Lakanwal was shot by a National Guard supervisor, but ultimately recovered from his injuries in a local hospital. 

Lakanwal pleaded not guilty to 17 counts last month — including first-degree murder — after he was indicted by a federal grand jury. If convicted, Lakanwal could face the death penalty, which federal prosecutors are reportedly weighing whether they will seek in this case. 

Beckstrom and Wolfe, both members of the West Virginia National Guard, were in D.C. as part of President Donald Trump’s deployment of troops in the city. At the time of the shooting, there were more than 2,000 Guard members deployed in D.C. After the shooting, however, Trump ordered 500 additional troops be deployed to the city and further surges have brought the number of troops currently in D.C. to over 5,000.