A man identified as Nasire Best opened fire near a U.S. Secret Service checkpoint Saturday around 6 p.m. and was shot and killed by Secret Service officers who returned fire, the agency said. A bystander was also hit and required surgery, while investigators s
Chaos erupted near the White House after a man approached a security checkpoint just after 6 p.m. Saturday, removed a weapon from his bag, and began firing at posted officers, according to the U.S. Secret Service. Agents returned fire, striking the suspect, who was taken to a hospital and later died.
Reporters on the White House grounds said they heard gunshots and were rushed into the press briefing room. where they were told to shelter in place as Secret Service officers moved to respond. The shooting unfolded near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. just outside the White House complex. on what was described as a busy day with President Donald Trump and senior officials moving in and out of the building amid ongoing discussions about a potential Iran agreement.
The Secret Service said the suspect was killed during the exchange and that none of its personnel were injured. A bystander was also shot and required surgery, the agency said. It remains unclear whether the bystander was hit by the suspect’s gunfire or by shots fired by officers.
The suspect has been identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best of Maryland. The Secret Service said Best had approached the White House on several occasions and was previously known to law enforcement and the Secret Service.
District of Columbia court records described a history that included an episode in June 26. 2025. when agents had detained Best near the White House after he approached officers and made threats. the content notes. Those records also say Best was arrested in July 2025 after attempting to enter a White House security checkpoint without authorization and failing to comply with officers’ commands. During the incident, records state that he “claimed he was Jesus Christ” and told officers he wanted to be arrested.
After an initial hearing, a judge issued a pretrial stay-away order barring him from the area. A bench warrant was later issued in August after Best failed to appear for a subsequent hearing. triggering a notice of noncompliance. Following that incident, Best was sent to a psychiatric ward for mental health issues.
On the scene. investigators placed yellow police tape along a sidewalk near the White House and set dozens of orange evidence markers on the ground. Video shared on social media by ABC News senior White House correspondent Selina Wang showed the chaotic moments as the gunfire erupted. Wang said she heard what “sounded like dozens of gunshots” while filming a routine social media segment and quickly ducked for cover inside the media tent. The widely shared clip showed her reaction as shots rang out in the background.
The Metropolitan Police Department said the Secret Service was leading the investigation and urged the public to avoid the area as officers secured the scene.
FBI Director Kash Patel said agents were assisting and would provide updates as more information becomes available. Trump was inside the White House at the time of the shooting but was not “impacted,” the account says.
CBS News reported that 15 to 30 total gunshots were fired.
The incident lands amid a string of security scares near the White House that have heightened anxiety among residents and officials about what can happen in a place where protections are among the strictest in the country. The location is close to where a gunman ambushed two members of the West Virginia National Guard in November. killing U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and critically wounding another soldier. It follows an attempted assassination of the president last month during the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner at a Washington hotel. where the suspect has pleaded not guilty and remains in federal custody.
Earlier this month, Secret Service officers shot a suspect near the Washington Monument after authorities said he had fired at law enforcement, and a teenage bystander was wounded.
As lawmakers continue to debate security funding tied to President Trump’s proposed White House ballroom—an issue that has become a flashpoint in Washington—the questions raised by Saturday’s chaos have been sharpened by the political fight over who pays and what changes are needed. While Trump has insisted the ballroom itself will be privately funded. Republican lawmakers have pushed for roughly $1 billion in federal money for related Secret Service upgrades. including “hardening” the White House complex and new screening facilities.
Critics, including Democrats and some Republicans, argue the proposal would effectively shift costs to taxpayers and lacks detail. Supporters say recent security threats show the need for expanded protections at large-scale events on White House grounds.
Saturday’s shooting ended with the suspect dead and a bystander injured, but it added another jolt to a security landscape that already has Washington on edge.
White House shooting Secret Service Nasire Best President Donald Trump FBI Director Kash Patel Washington security checkpoint 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW bystander surgery stay-away order
I just saw “near the White House” and my stomach dropped.
How does some guy just walk up there like that, seriously? If he was “known” then why wasn’t he already handled. Also the bystander thing is confusing, like was it the suspect or the Secret Service shots??
Wait so he removed a weapon from his bag and started shooting at posted officers… then they return fire and he dies. But none of the agents got hit, yet a bystander needed surgery. That part makes no sense to me because if officers were shooting back, wouldn’t that mean they hit the bystander more likely? I’m not even sure what “shelter in place” means there, like inside the White House press room?
This feels like it’s being tied to the Iran agreement discussions but idk, it’s probably just someone with a grievance. They said he approached several times and made threats before, which is wild to me… like how many chances do you get before somebody actually stops you. Also I don’t trust “unclear whether” stuff, because they always say that and then later it’s “oh actually.”