A person who opened fire near a White House security checkpoint on Saturday evening is dead after Secret Service officers returned fire, according to The Associated Press. Authorities said the incident happened shortly after 6 p.m. near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, close to the White House complex.
According to the U.S. Secret Service, the individual approached the checkpoint area and pulled a weapon from a bag before firing. Officers responded with gunfire, striking the suspect. The person was transported to hospital and later died from their injuries, the agency said in a preliminary statement.
A law enforcement official, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation, identified the suspect as 21 year old Nasire Best. Officials said no Secret Service officers were injured. President Donald Trump was inside the White House at the time, but the Secret Service said he was not impacted by the incident.
One bystander was also struck during the shooting. Authorities had not immediately confirmed whether the bystander was hit by bullets fired by the suspect or during the officers’ response. Police and federal investigators remained at the scene Saturday evening, where crime scene tape, evidence markers and emergency medical materials were visible near the White House grounds.
Journalists working at the White House reported hearing several gunshots and were instructed to shelter inside the press briefing room. ABC News senior White House correspondent Selina Wang posted video on X showing the moment she appeared to hear the gunfire while recording a report near the White House driveway. The video was widely shared online within hours.
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a social media post that officers were responding to reports of shots fired and that more information would be provided when available. The Metropolitan Police Department also warned people to avoid the area while the Secret Service handled the scene.
Saturday’s shooting marks the third incident involving gunfire near President Trump in the past month. In April, authorities said there was an attempted assassination of the president during the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner at a Washington hotel. The suspect in that case, Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, has pleaded not guilty and remains in federal custody.
Earlier in May, Secret Service officers shot a suspect near the Washington Monument after authorities said the person fired at officers. A teenage bystander was wounded in that incident. The latest shooting has again raised concerns about security around the White House and the wider area surrounding the president’s public and official movements.
