A man who opened fire Saturday near a White House security checkpoint was shot and later died at a hospital after Secret Service officers returned fire, the agency said. The incident occurred shortly after 6 p.m. EDT in the area of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.
The Secret Service said the suspect pulled a weapon from a bag and began firing. Officers returned fire, struck the suspect and he was transported to a hospital where he died. Authorities identified him as 21-year-old Nasire Best, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation.
A bystander was also hit in the incident; officials said it was not yet clear whether the person was struck by rounds fired by the suspect or by officers returning fire. No Secret Service officers were injured. President Donald Trump, who was at the White House at the time, was not “impacted,” the agency said. Trump had planned to spend the weekend at his New Jersey golf club but changed his plans to remain at the White House.
Court records show Best had a prior arrest in July 2025 after attempting to enter a different White House checkpoint without authorization. Records say he did not obey officers’ commands, claimed to be Jesus Christ and said he wanted to be arrested. A pretrial stay-away order was issued after an initial hearing, and a bench warrant was issued in August after a notice of noncompliance, though Best later appeared at a subsequent hearing.
The FBI director, Kash Patel, said on social media that FBI personnel were on the scene and that the agency would provide updates as it could.
Investigators and Secret Service agents secured the area outside the White House complex. Reporters and bystanders observed yellow crime-scene tape, dozens of orange evidence markers on the sidewalk and medical supplies at the scene, including what appeared to be purple gloves and emergency kits.
Journalists working near the White House reported hearing a rapid series of gunshots and were told to shelter in the press briefing room. ABC News correspondent Selina Wang posted video showing her in the media tent as gunfire sounds in the background; she ducked for cover and later described what she heard as sounding like dozens of shots.
Saturday’s shooting is the third gunfire incident close to the president in roughly a month. On April 25 authorities say a man fired a shotgun inside a hotel security checkpoint during the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner; that suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he attempted to kill the president. In early May, Secret Service officers shot a man who fired at officers near the Washington Monument; a teenage bystander was wounded and Michael Marx was charged in that case.
The location of Saturday’s shooting is also within walking distance of a November ambush where a gunman attacked two members of the West Virginia National Guard, fatally wounding Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and critically wounding Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe. Rahmanullah Lakanwal has been charged in that attack.
Officials said the investigation into Saturday’s shooting is ongoing. The Secret Service and federal partners are collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses to determine the sequence of events and whether additional charges will be filed.