The man approached the checkpoint at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House, pulled a gun out of his bag and started shooting at officers, according to a Secret Service statement sent to Reuters. Officers returned fire and shot the suspect, the agency said.
The shooting suspect was identified as an emotionally disturbed person. No law enforcement personnel were injured, the Secret Service said, adding that President Donald Trump was at the White House during the incident.
The gunman, identified as Nasire Best, 21, had previous encounters with the Secret Service, court records show — including one occasion where he was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital and another where local police arrested him while he claimed “he was Jesus Christ.”
Officers had encountered Best multiple times near the White House last summer, according to a court affidavit, which says he was “known to the Secret Service” for “walking around the White House complex inquiring how to gain access at various entry points.”
He was involuntarily committed on June 26, 2025, for “obstructing vehicle entry” to part of the White House complex, the court documents said.
On July 10, 2025, Best ignored warning signs and walked into a restricted area outside the White House, the affidavit said, where multiple officers confronted him.
The shooting comes nearly a month after a gunman fired shots inside the hotel hosting the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, prompting Trump and other officials to be rushed out.
