Gunman Opens Fire Near White House Security Checkpoint and Is Killed by Secret Service

On Saturday evening, a 21-year-old man walked up to a Secret Service security checkpoint just outside the White House, pulled a weapon from a bag, and started shooting. Officers returned fire, striking the suspect, who later died at a hospital. A bystander was also hit by gunfire and remained in critical condition. President Trump was inside the White House residence at the time but was not affected.

The shooting happened around 6 p.m. ET near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, right next to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. As many as 30 shots rang out. Reporters who were on the White House grounds at the time heard dozens of gunshots and were immediately told to take shelter inside the press briefing room. A roughly 40-minute lockdown followed before the situation was declared resolved.

Who Was the Shooter?

The suspect was identified by multiple law enforcement officials as Nasire Best, a 21-year-old from Maryland who had been living in the Washington, D.C. area for about 18 months. Best was not a stranger to law enforcement. In fact, the Secret Service already knew him well.

Best had been detained by the Secret Service on June 26, 2025, after he flagged down agents and made threats. During that encounter, he blocked an entry lane at the White House and told agents he was "God." He was involuntarily committed to the Psychiatric Institute of Washington for a mental evaluation after that incident.

Just two weeks later, on July 10, 2025, the Secret Service arrested Best again. This time, he walked into a restricted area near the White House complex driveway. During his arrest, he claimed he was Jesus Christ and told officers he wanted to be arrested. A judge issued a court order demanding that Best stay away from the White House grounds.

Despite all of that, he came back. And this time, he brought a gun.

Social Media Posts Raised Red Flags

When investigators looked into Best's background during his earlier encounters, they found some alarming content on his social media accounts. In various posts, he had claimed to be "the real" Osama bin Laden. He also wrote "I'm actually the son of God" in at least one post. And perhaps most concerning, at least one post appeared to indicate his desire to harm President Trump.

But here's the thing that law enforcement sources emphasized after Saturday's shooting: before this incident, police had never encountered Best behaving violently or wielding a weapon. His prior run-ins were all about trespassing, making bizarre claims, and ignoring court orders. Nothing that involved actual firearm violence. That changed Saturday evening when he pulled a revolver from a bag and opened fire at the security booth.

How the Shooting Unfolded

According to the Secret Service and multiple law enforcement sources, Best approached the checkpoint near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW shortly after 6 p.m. ET. This is a security booth just outside the White House complex where officers stand guard. The location is near the Starbucks on Pennsylvania Avenue NW, close to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

Best pulled a revolver from his bag and fired several shots directly at the officers inside the security booth. Secret Service officers returned fire and struck Best, critically injuring him. He was transported to George Washington University Hospital, where he later died.

Between 15 and 30 total shots were fired during the exchange, according to law enforcement sources. Video captured by ABC reporter Selina Wang and CBS News crews on scene picked up what sounded like dozens of shots going off in rapid succession. The CBS crew had been preparing to record for their weekend broadcast when the gunfire erupted, and they dropped to the ground.

A Bystander Was Also Hit

One detail that is still being sorted out is the bystander who was struck by gunfire. A civilian who was on the street near the checkpoint was also shot. That person was taken to an area hospital in serious condition. Authorities did not immediately release the bystander's name.

What remains unclear is whether the bystander was hit by Best's initial gunfire or during the return fire from Secret Service officers. That distinction matters, and investigators were still working to determine the exact circumstances Saturday night.

No Secret Service officers were injured in the exchange.

What It Was Like Inside the White House

The White House press corps had actually been given a "lid" at 5:06 p.m., meaning nothing more was expected from the president for the rest of the day. But many journalists were still on the grounds when the shooting started about an hour later.

Members of the press who were on the North Lawn were rushed into the briefing room by Secret Service agents who shouted "get down" and yelled warnings about "shots fired." About two dozen journalists sheltered inside the briefing room during the lockdown, which lasted approximately 40 minutes before being lifted just before 7 p.m. ET.

After the shooting, the scene outside the checkpoint was marked off with yellow crime scene tape. Forensic investigators were photographed documenting evidence behind the police tape. Dozens of orange evidence markers dotted the sidewalk. Medical supplies, including what appeared to be purple surgical gloves and emergency kits, were scattered on the ground where first responders had worked on the wounded.

Trump and Officials Respond

President Trump was at the White House at the time of the shooting. He had originally planned to spend the weekend at his New Jersey golf club but changed his plans on Friday, staying in Washington amid ongoing talks to end the Iran war. He was also supposed to attend his son Don Jr.'s wedding in the Bahamas on Saturday, but remained at the White House instead.

Early Sunday morning, Trump posted on Truth Social thanking Secret Service and law enforcement officials for their quick response. Vice President JD Vance had been at the White House earlier in the day, though it was not confirmed whether he was still present at the time of the shooting.

FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed on social media that FBI personnel were on scene supporting the Secret Service investigation. The Metropolitan Police Department also acknowledged the incident on X and told people to avoid the area.

House Speaker Mike Johnson weighed in on X as well, writing: "We are grateful for our brave Secret Service agents who took quick, decisive action to protect President Trump, and our prayers are with the victims of tonight's senseless shooting for a speedy recovery." He added: "Our law enforcement officers run into harm's way each day to keep us safe, and they deserve our unwavering support."

The Security Checkpoint Had Just Reopened

Here's a detail that stood out in the aftermath. The shooting occurred on the west end of Pennsylvania Avenue, a pedestrian plaza that runs along the north side of the White House. Just days before the shooting, part of the plaza had reopened to the public following a months-long closure. The timing of that reopening, followed almost immediately by a shooting at the same location, is the kind of detail that security analysts will be picking apart for weeks.

The Bigger Picture Around the White House Right Now

Saturday's shooting was the third gunfire incident in the vicinity of President Trump in roughly one month. On April 25, 2026, a gunman breached a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. That suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, ran through a magnetometer holding a shotgun and shot a Secret Service officer in the chest. The officer, who was wearing a ballistic vest, survived. Allen was later charged with attempting to assassinate the president.

Then on May 4, another shooting occurred near the Washington Monument. Michael Marx, 45, of Midland, Texas, fired at Secret Service officers and was shot by agents. He survived and was charged in U.S. District Court.

Three separate shootings involving Secret Service officers within about 30 days. That's a pace that is virtually unprecedented in modern American history. The location on 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue is also within walking distance of where a gunman ambushed two members of the West Virginia National Guard last November, killing Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and critically wounding Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe.

The Secret Service said the shooting remains under investigation. For now, the questions are piling up faster than the answers. How did a man with a court order barring him from the White House grounds, a history of erratic behavior, and at least one social media post threatening the president manage to walk up to a security booth with a loaded revolver? That's the question a lot of people in Washington are going to be asking in the days ahead.