Secret Service Kills Gunman at White House Checkpoint, Bystander Hit

A 21-year-old Maryland man with a documented history of mental health issues and prior encounters with White House security was shot dead by Secret Service agents Saturday evening after opening fire at a checkpoint near the executive mansion.

The incident unfolded shortly after 6 p.m. when Nasire Best approached the intersection of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, pulled a revolver from his bag and began shooting toward officers. Agents returned fire, striking Best. He was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead. A bystander was also hit during the exchange, though officials have not clarified whether the injury came from Best or the agents. No Secret Service personnel were wounded.

President Donald Trump was inside the White House at the time but was not affected, according to the Secret Service. The agency placed the complex on lockdown as the shots rang out, sending journalists on the North Lawn scrambling for cover.

Law enforcement sources told multiple outlets that Best was already known to both the Secret Service and the Metropolitan Police Department. He had been issued a stay-away order after a July 2025 incident in which he attempted to enter a different checkpoint without authorization, claimed to be Jesus Christ and asked to be arrested. Court records described him as an emotionally disturbed person who had repeatedly loitered near White House entrances and inquired about gaining access.

Trump later posted on Truth Social that the gunman had a “violent history and possible obsession with our Country’s most cherished structure.” He thanked agents for their “swift and professional action” and used the episode to renew calls for additional funding to make the White House “the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built,” an apparent reference to his proposed ballroom project.

The shooting marks the latest in a string of security incidents near the president and his circle. Just weeks earlier, a gunman opened fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. Earlier this month, Secret Service agents shot a man near the Washington Monument along the route of Vice President JD Vance’s motorcade after he allegedly fired at officers.

Investigators have not released a motive for Saturday’s attack, though Best’s repeated prior contacts with authorities and untreated mental health conditions have raised fresh questions about how individuals already flagged by protective services can still obtain firearms and approach restricted areas. The Secret Service said the investigation remains active and that road closures around the White House would continue overnight.