Nasire Best Killed After Opening Fire on Secret Service Checkpoint Outside White House

A gunman opened fire near a U.S. Secret Service checkpoint outside the White House at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW on Saturday evening, and Secret Service officers returned fire, striking the suspect who later died at a hospital.

CBS News reported that President Trump was at the White House during the incident but was not impacted, and it said the suspect was identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best.

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NPR reported that the Secret Service said the man was in the area of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue when he "pulled a weapon from his bag" shortly after 6 p.m. EDT and began firing.

NPR also said the bystander was struck on Saturday, but it was not clear whether the person was hit by the suspect's initial bullets or those fired subsequently by officers.

In a Truth Social post early Sunday morning, President Trump thanked Secret Service for their "for the swift and professional action" and alleged the suspect "had a violent history and possible obsession with our Country's most cherished structure."

Senate Majority Leader John Thune praised the Secret Service response, writing he was "grateful for the Secret Service and the agents' decisive actions to protect President Trump and everyone at and around the White House this evening."

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NPR said the shooting was the third incidence of gunfire in the vicinity of President Donald Trump in the past month, after incidents at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in April and near the Washington Monument earlier in May.

NPR also described how evidence of the shooting was visible on a sidewalk just outside the White House complex, where yellow crime scene tape snaked across the pavement and Secret Service officers placed dozens of orange evidence markers on the ground.

The Metropolitan Police Department said the suspect was identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best and that he started shooting toward a White House security checkpoint when Secret Service officers returned fire, and AP News said the bystander was in serious but stable condition with a gunshot wound described as not life-threatening.

The New York Times reported that the police are investigating to determine who shot the bystander and that investigators will also piece together a more complete picture of the shooting, including how many shots were fired and whether the Secret Service was justified in its use of force.

NPR said Best was identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best and that District of Columbia court records showed he was arrested in July 2025 after he attempted to enter a different White House checkpoint without authorization, "claimed he was Jesus Christ" and said he wanted to be arrested.

NPR added that a "Pretrial Stay Away Order" was issued and that a bench warrant was issued in August after a notice of "noncompliance" against Best, who did appear for a subsequent hearing.