A gunman who opened fire at a security post near the White House died after being shot by responding officers. The U.S. Secret Service reported the incident on Saturday. This marks the third shooting near President Donald Trump in the past month.
In a preliminary statement on X, the Secret Service described how the individual, located around 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, pulled a firearm from his bag and began shooting shortly after 6 p.m. Eastern time. Agents responded to the attack and injured the suspect, who was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
The suspect was identified as Nasire Best, aged 21, according to a police official who requested anonymity due to lack of authorization to discuss the case. Prior incidents occurred near the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in April and close to the Washington Monument earlier in May.
A bystander was also struck by gunfire during Saturday’s events. However, law enforcement couldn’t confirm whether the injury was from the suspect’s bullets or those fired by agents. The Secret Service confirmed no officers were injured, and President Trump, who was inside the White House at the time, remained unaffected.
Journalists on duty at the White House heard the shots and were instructed to find shelter within the press briefing room. Visible evidence of the shooting extended outside the White House complex, with crime scene tape marking the area and numerous orange evidence markers placed by Secret Service agents. Medical supplies, including purple surgical gloves and typical emergency response kits, were observed on-site.
ABC News White House correspondent Selina Wang shared footage on X showing the moment she heard what sounded like numerous shots and took cover. She was conducting a routine task common among White House reporters—recording for social media—when the incident occurred. Her video featured her discussing President Trump’s comments on a potential Iran deal, just before gunfire erupts, causing her to duck for safety in the media tent. The video has been widely shared and viewed over 3 million times by Saturday night.
The Metropolitan Police Department announced via their X account that the Secret Service was handling the scene, advising the public to steer clear of the area. This location is near where a gunman ambushed two West Virginia National Guard members last November, resulting in the death of Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, aged 20, and severe injury to Andrew Wolfe, then aged 24. Rahmanullah Lakanwal was charged in connection with that attack.
The Saturday shooting follows nearly a month after what law enforcement described as an attempt to assassinate President Trump on April 25 during the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington. Cole Tomas Allen, from California, pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to kill Trump and remains in federal custody.
Days after the dinner, Secret Service agents shot a suspect they claimed fired upon officers near the Washington Monument, also close to the White House. Michael Marx, aged 45, from Texas, faces charges related to the May 4 shooting. A teenage bystander was injured in that incident.
Contributions to this dispatch were made by AP photojournalists Jose Luis Magana and Alex Brandon, along with reporters Gary Fields, Meg Kinnard, and Matthew Daly.
This story was translated from English with the assistance of a generative AI tool.