Suspect Dead After Opening Fire Near White House Checkpoint
A 21-year-old man who opened fire near a White House security checkpoint on Saturday evening was shot and killed by Secret Service officers, marking the third gunfire incident near President Donald Trump in less than a month. A bystander was also struck and transported to a hospital in serious condition.
The Incident
The shooting occurred shortly after 6:00 p.m. EDT on May 23 at the intersection of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, where the suspect — identified as Nasire Best of Maryland — pulled a revolver from his bag and began firing at a White House security checkpoint, according to the U.S. Secret Service.
Secret Service Uniformed Division officers returned fire, striking Best, who was transported to a hospital and later pronounced dead. None of the officers were injured. President Trump was inside the White House at the time and was not impacted. The White House was placed on immediate lockdown, which was lifted approximately 45 minutes later.
ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Selina Wang, who was filming a social media video from the North Lawn, captured the moment shots rang out. “It sounded like dozens of gunshots,” she said. “We were told to sprint to the press briefing room where we are holding now.” Her video has since been viewed more than 3 million times.
The Suspect: A Known Threat
Nasire Best was well-known to the Secret Service. Court records reviewed by The Guardian show that Best had a history of attempting to access the White House complex and was the subject of multiple law enforcement encounters.
On June 26, 2025, Best was involuntarily committed for obstructing vehicle entry to the White House complex. Just two weeks later, on July 10, 2025, he was arrested for unlawful entry after bypassing a White House checkpoint. According to court filings, Best “claimed he was Jesus Christ and that he wanted to get arrested.” A judge issued a “Pretrial Stay Away Order” barring him from the White House area, and when Best failed to appear for a subsequent hearing, a bench warrant was issued in August 2025.
A Descent Into Mental Health Crisis
According to friends and former teammates who spoke to the New York Post, Best was a former high school track athlete at Dundalk High School near Baltimore who graduated in 2023. He worked as an Amazon driver alongside close friend Jerome Patterson before his mental health began to deteriorate.
“Everything was fine until randomly he started talking about being in control of people and reality and how he could tap into a different frequency and hear and peep things that we couldn’t,” Patterson told the Banner. Best began believing he was God, became increasingly irritable, and eventually cut off contact with friends and family. He was also evicted from his apartment after failing to pay rent.
A Troubling Pattern of Security Incidents
Saturday’s shooting was the third gunfire incident near President Trump in under a month, raising significant questions about security protocols in the nation’s capital:
- April 25, 2026: Cole Tomas Allen, 31, fired shots at the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in what authorities described as an attempted assassination. A Secret Service officer was struck in his bullet-resistant vest.
- May 4, 2026: Michael Marx, 45, fired at Secret Service officers near the Washington Monument. A teenage bystander was wounded.
- May 23, 2026: Nasire Best opened fire at the White House checkpoint, was killed by Secret Service return fire, and a bystander was seriously wounded.
Political Reactions
President Trump thanked law enforcement on Truth Social, praising the “swift and professional action taken this evening against a gunman near the White House, who had a violent history and possible obsession with our Country’s most cherished structure.” He used the incident to advocate for a new secure facility in Washington, D.C.
House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed gratitude for the “brave Secret Service agents who took quick, decisive action to protect President Trump,” while Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) condemned the shooting and called for unity. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that FBI personnel were on the scene assisting the investigation.
What’s Next
The incident raises urgent questions about how Best — despite a court-ordered stay away order, an active bench warrant, and being known to the Secret Service — was able to approach a White House checkpoint with a weapon. The FBI is assisting in the investigation, and the condition of the wounded bystander remains serious. The shooting is likely to intensify debates about White House security infrastructure and the enforcement of protective orders for individuals known to pose threats.