A man was shot and killed by U.S. Secret Service agents near the White House on Saturday after he opened fire with a handgun, according to a statement from the agency. The suspect, identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best, had prior encounters with authorities near the White House.
The man had been pacing along the street for some time before he approached a police checkpoint, pulled a pistol from his bag and began firing indiscriminately, said a person familiar with the matter who was granted anonymity to describe a sensitive investigation. Officers returned fire, striking the suspect, who was transported to an area hospital, where he later died, the Secret Service said in the statement.
A bystander was also struck during the shooting. It was not clear whether the person was hit by the suspect's initial gunfire or in the exchange that followed. The incident occurred near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, outside the White House complex. Reporters were hustled off the White House lawn and into the building as the campus was briefly locked down.
Best had a prior encounter with authorities near the White House in July 2025, when he was arrested for unlawful entry after walking into a restricted area at a pedestrian checkpoint, court records show. He had been involuntarily held for a mental assessment by the authorities weeks earlier, in June 2025, after obstructing a vehicle entrance to the White House complex, according to the records.
More than two hours before the incident, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung posted that President Donald Trump was in the executive mansion. Trump was the only Secret Service protectee at the White House at the time of the shooting, the person said. Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel posted on X that his agency is also assisting the Secret Service.
Saturday's incident comes a little under a month after federal agents arrested a man at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner for attempting to assassinate Trump. The suspect attempted to charge through a security checkpoint with firearms.
