WASHINGTON — U.S. Secret Service officers shot and killed a gunman who opened fire near a security checkpoint outside the White House on Saturday evening, authorities said, in a security scare that also left one bystander wounded.
The confrontation happened shortly after 6 p.m. near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, close to the White House security perimeter. According to the Secret Service, the suspect approached the checkpoint, pulled a firearm from a bag and began shooting at officers. Secret Service personnel returned fire, striking the man, who was taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead.
No Secret Service officers were injured. Authorities said one bystander was hit by gunfire, though it was not immediately clear whether the person was struck by the suspect’s shots or during the exchange of fire. The bystander’s condition was not immediately released.
The Associated Press identified the suspect as 21-year-old Nasire Best, citing law enforcement authorities. The AP reported that Best had previously been arrested in 2025 after attempting to enter another White House checkpoint while claiming to be Jesus Christ. He had also reportedly been subject to a stay-away order.
President Donald Trump was inside the White House at the time of the shooting but was not harmed, officials said. White House staff and journalists in the complex were briefly instructed to shelter in place as law enforcement secured the area. Reporters said they heard multiple gunshots before being moved indoors.
The shooting prompted road closures and a large law enforcement response around the White House, one of the most heavily guarded sites in the United States. Evidence markers and emergency vehicles remained visible near the checkpoint after the incident as investigators worked to reconstruct what happened.
The FBI and other law enforcement agencies are assisting in the investigation. Authorities have not announced a motive, and officials have not said whether the suspect had any direct connection to the president or the White House beyond approaching the checkpoint.
The incident comes amid heightened concern over security around senior U.S. officials and federal sites. It also follows other recent gunfire-related incidents near presidential events and sensitive locations in Washington.
Secret Service officials said the immediate threat was contained and that the White House complex remained secure. The agency is expected to review the shooting as part of standard procedure following any use of deadly force by officers.
For now, investigators are focusing on how the gunman reached the checkpoint, whether he acted alone and what led him to open fire in one of the most sensitive security zones in the country.
