A man died after opening fire at a security checkpoint near the White House and being shot by Secret Service officers, federal officials said. A bystander was also struck, though investigators had not determined whose gunfire caused that injury.
The Secret Service said the man approached officers near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue shortly after 6 p.m., removed a firearm from a bag and began shooting. Officers returned fire and hit him. He was transported to a hospital, where he died. No Secret Service personnel were injured.
A law-enforcement official identified the man as 21-year-old Nasire Best. The official spoke anonymously because they were not authorised to discuss the investigation. District of Columbia court records showed that Best had been arrested in July 2025 after trying to enter a different White House checkpoint without permission and ignoring commands to stop. A court issued a pretrial order requiring him to stay away, followed later by a bench warrant after reported noncompliance.
President Donald Trump was inside the White House during the shooting but was not affected, the Secret Service said. He had initially planned to spend the weekend at his New Jersey golf club before changing his schedule the previous day. Journalists working in the White House complex heard a series of shots and were instructed to shelter in the press briefing room.
The scene remained sealed as officers photographed evidence and placed dozens of markers on the pavement. Medical supplies lay near the checkpoint, and police blocked surrounding streets. FBI Director Kash Patel said federal personnel were assisting at the site and promised updates when investigators could release more information.
The event was the third reported gunfire incident near the president within a month. On April 25, authorities said a gunman tried to assassinate Trump at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in a Washington hotel. The accused, Cole Tomas Allen, pleaded not guilty. On May 4, Secret Service officers shot a man they said fired toward them near the Washington Monument; a teenage bystander was wounded.
The May 23 scene was also within walking distance of a November attack on two West Virginia National Guard members. Specialist Sarah Beckstrom died from her wounds and Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe was critically injured. A suspect has been charged in that case.
Those earlier incidents provide security context but do not establish a motive for Best's actions. The preliminary account answered only the immediate sequence: he approached the checkpoint, drew a weapon and fired, officers responded, and a bystander was hit amid the exchange. Investigators still had to determine the path of the bullet that wounded the bystander and reconstruct why the armed man returned to an area he had previously been ordered to avoid.
