Secret Service reports suspect killed following shooting near White House security checkpoint

WASHINGTON — A man who initiated a ⁤shooting near ‌a White House security checkpoint on Saturday was fatally shot by officers, according to the Secret Service. This marks the third⁢ occurrence of gunfire​ near President Donald Trump within⁣ the past month.

The Secret⁤ Service released a statement on X, stating ⁤that ‌the man was ⁤near 17th Street and Pennsylvania ​Avenue when he ⁤”drew a weapon from his bag” ​shortly ⁢after 6 p.m. EDT and began shooting. Secret⁣ Service officers retaliated, hitting the suspect who later died in​ a hospital.

The⁣ suspect was ⁢identified as ​21-year-old Nasire Best, according to a law enforcement official who ​requested anonymity due to lack of authorization to discuss the investigation.

District of⁢ Columbia court ​records reveal that Best⁣ was arrested in July 2025 ⁢after ​he attempted⁤ to enter a ‍different White House checkpoint without authorization. He ​ignored⁢ officers’ commands to stop, claimed to be Jesus Christ, and expressed‍ a desire to be arrested.

An initial‌ hearing was ⁣held, ⁢and a “pretrial stay away order” ‌was issued, typically a measure ordering a defendant not to approach a person ‍or area before a trial. A‍ bench warrant was issued ‍in August after a notice of “noncompliance” ‌against Best,⁤ who did not appear for a subsequent hearing.

Recent gunfire incidents near Trump

This is⁣ the third instance in the past month where‌ shots were fired‍ near the president, following incidents at the White House‌ Correspondents’ Association Dinner in April and near ​the Washington Monument earlier in May.

A bystander was‍ also hit on Saturday, but it ⁣remains unclear ⁢whether the ‍individual ‍was hit by the suspect’s initial bullets or those fired by officers in response.

The Secret Service confirmed⁣ that none of its⁤ officers were injured, and that Trump, who was at the White House at the ‍time,⁣ was‌ not “impacted.” Trump ⁣had initially planned to ⁤spend the weekend at his New Jersey golf club but decided to stay at⁣ the White House​ instead.

FBI Director Kash Patel ⁤stated on social media that agency personnel were on the scene​ and promised to “update the public as we’re able.”

Evidence of ‍the shooting was visible on a sidewalk just outside the White‍ House complex, where yellow crime scene ⁢tape was laid out and ‌Secret Service officers placed dozens of orange evidence⁢ markers. Medical supplies, including what appeared to be purple surgical gloves and emergency medical ⁣kits, were also spotted.

Journalists at the White ‍House heard gunshots

Journalists⁣ working at the‌ White House on⁤ Saturday evening reported hearing a series of ​gunshots and were instructed‍ to seek shelter ‌inside the press briefing room.

ABC News senior White House correspondent Selina Wang shared a dramatic video on X, capturing the moment she heard what “sounded like dozens ‌of gunshots” and took cover. Wang’s video, which shows her speaking about Trump’s statements earlier Saturday regarding a potential Iran deal, had been⁤ shared thousands of times⁤ and viewed at least 3⁤ million times as of Saturday evening.

Shooting scene close to⁢ a deadly incident last‌ year

The shooting scene is ‌within walking distance‌ of where a gunman ambushed two​ members of the West Virginia National Guard last November.

U.S. Army‌ Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died from the wounds she ‍suffered in that shooting. Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, then 24, was critically wounded. Rahmanullah Lakanwal has been⁤ charged in that incident.

The gunfire on Saturday occurred ‌nearly a month after what law enforcement authorities described as ⁣an ⁤attempted assassination of the president at the ⁣annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner at a Washington ⁣hotel on⁢ April 25. Cole ⁢Tomas Allen, ⁤of Torrance, California, recently pleaded not guilty ‍to charges that he attempted to kill Trump. Allen is accused ​of bypassing a security checkpoint inside the hotel and firing a shotgun at⁣ a Secret ‍Service officer.

Following that incident,‌ Secret Service​ officers shot a suspect​ they said had fired at officers near​ the Washington Monument, several blocks from the White House. Michael Marx, 45, of Midland, Texas, was charged in a complaint ⁤filed in⁤ U.S. District‍ Court in connection with the May 4 ‌shooting. A teenage bystander was wounded in that incident.