Federal officers shot and killed a gunman known to the U.S. Secret Service after he opened fire near the White House on Saturday evening. President Donald Trump was inside the building at the time but was not harmed.
The gunman, identified by officials as 21-year-old Nasire Best, approached the complex just after 6:00 PM near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. According to a Secret Service statement, Best pulled a gun from a bag and opened fire before officers shot him. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
A bystander was also struck by gunfire and injured. The Secret Service has not released details on the bystander's condition, and it remains unclear who fired the shot that hit them. No law enforcement officers were injured.
The gunfire triggered a brief lockdown of the White House complex and startled journalists on the North Lawn. Reporters and photographers reported hearing dozens of shots before Secret Service personnel rushed them inside the press briefing room for safety.
Court records reveal Best had a history of encounters at the complex. Last July, he was arrested for unlawful entry after ignoring warnings and entering a restricted area. An affidavit notes he was already known to personnel for asking how to gain access to the grounds. In a separate incident the previous month, he was briefly held for blocking a vehicle gate, where he claimed to officers that he was Jesus Christ and wanted to be arrested. A judge had issued a stay-away order barring him from the area, and a bench warrant was out for his arrest after he missed a August court date.
This is the third shooting incident near high-profile U.S. officials within a month. On April 25, an armed man was subdued at a security checkpoint for the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. On May 4, another armed suspect was wounded in a shootout with Secret Service officers near the Washington Monument.
