Secret Service kill armed suspect, strike bystander in shooting near White House
A gunman opened fire near the White House Saturday evening and was shot and killed by the U.S. Secret Service, the agency said.
A bystander also was struck by gunfire, according to the Secret Service. No officers were injured. President Donald Trump was in the White House during the May 23 incident but was not impacted.
The shooting took place shortly after 6 p.m. near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue outside the White House complex on the west side. The gunman "pulled a weapon from his bag and began firing," according to the Secret Service statement. Officers returned fire, hitting the gunman who later was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The Secret Service did not release the condition of the bystander. Trump in a May 24 social media post thanked "our great Secret Service and Law Enforcement for the swift and professional action."
Authorities have identified the suspected gunman as 21-year-old Nasire Best, according to an official familiar with the incident. Court records show that Best, of Dundalk, Maryland has a history of interactions with Secret Service outside the White House. He was charged in DC Superior Court with attempting to unlawfully enter 1699 State Place NW, one of the entry points to the White House complex, on July 10, 2025.
Best allegedly said he was Jesus Christ and wanted to be arrested, according to a police affidavit. The Secret Service was familiar with Best allegedly “walking around the White House complex inquiring how to gain access at various entry posts,” the affidavit said.
Best was involuntarily committed on June 26, 2025, by the Secret Service for allegedly obstructing vehicle entry to the White House complex at 15th Street and E Street.
The incident outside the White House Saturday sent reporters who were working nearby scrambling, and prompted a multi-agency law enforcement response. FBI Director Kash Patel said his agency responded to the incident.
"FBI is on the scene and supporting Secret Service responding to shots fired near White House grounds," Patel said in a social media post.
What sounds like multiple gunshots can be heard in a video ABC News reporter Selina Wang posted of her taping at the White House. The noise sent Wang ducking for cover. She wrote that it sounded like dozens of gunshots and "we were told to sprint to the press briefing room where we are holding now."
CNN reporters on the scene also said they heard what appeared to be dozens of gunshots near the White House complex. Members of the press corps gathered on the North Lawn were rushed inside, with reporters directed into the White House briefing room as Secret Service agents shouted “get down” and warned of “shots fired,” according to CNN.
Trump was working in the White House Saturday on the Iran peace process, posting on social media from the Oval office less than two hours before the shooting. The president announced a peace deal had been "largely negotiated" and details would be released shortly, noting in the 4:30 p.m. social media post that he had just been on a call in the Oval Office with regional leaders.
Lawmakers praised the Secret Service, which has been involved in multiple shootings in recent weeks, following the latest incident.
"Grateful for the Secret Service and the agents’ decisive actions to protect President Trump and everyone at and around the White House this evening," Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, said on social media May 23.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, thanked the "heroic... agents who acted quickly and decisively to neutralize the threat" and said "The violence needs to stop. The chaos needs to end."
The latest shooting comes less than a month after a gunman stormed past security at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner that Trump was attending and shot a Secret Service agent, according to federal prosecutors. The officer survived. The alleged gunman, Cole Tomas Allen, was charged with attempting to assassinate the president.
A Secret Service officer shot an individual on the National Mall on May 4, a confrontation that prompted a brief lockdown at the White House a few blocks away. A bystander also was struck by a bullet during that incident, which occurred when officers tried to make contact with a suspicious individual who appeared to have a gun. The individual began firing in the officers' direction, and they returned fire, according to the Secret Service.
As he did after the White House Correspondents' Association dinner shooting, Trump said the latest incident demonstrates the need for a more secure facility for the president. He has been building a White House ballroom that is slated to have extensive security features.
Some Republican senators have raised concerns about a $1 billion funding request for White House security tied to the ballroom, and lawmakers appear ready to strip the money from a budget bill.
"This event is one month removed from the White House Correspondent’ Dinner shooting, and goes to show how important it is, for all future Presidents, to get, what will be, the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington, D.C.," Trump wrote on social media. "The National Security of our Country demands it!"
Contributing: Joey Garrison