An armed man was fatally shot by Secret Service agents following a shooting incident near the White House on Saturday, May 23
Credit: Handout
NEED TO KNOW
- The suspect accused of firing shots near the White House has been identified as Nasire Best
- Best, 21, reportedly had a history of trying to gain access to the White House and had been barred from the area
- He is estimated to have fired 10 to 20 shots outside the White House before being fatally shot by Secret Service agents on May 23
The suspect killed in a shooting outside the White House this weekend has been identified.
On Saturday, May 23, two people were struck in a shooting near the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and 17th Street Northwest, located just outside the White House complex, according to CNN and CBS News.
The shooter has been identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best, the outlets reported, citing sources familiar with the investigation. Best allegedly approached the White House complex, took a gun out of his bag and fired several shots before Secret Service agents shot him, per CNN and the New York Times.
He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead, per the outlets. Another bystander was struck in the shooting and sent to the hospital with serious injuries. No officers were injured in the shooting.
Credit: Handout
President Donald Trump was in the building at the time, "but was not impacted," a Secret Service spokesperson confirmed to CBS News.
"Thank you to our great Secret Service and Law Enforcement for the swift and professional action taken this evening against a gunman near the White House, who had a violent history and possible obsession with our Country’s most cherished structure," Trump wrote on Truth Social following the incident.
"The gunman is dead after an exchange of gunfire with Secret Service Agents near the White House gates. This event is one month removed from the White House Correspondent’ Dinner shooting, and goes to show how important it is, for all future Presidents, to get, what will be, the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington, D.C. The National Security of our Country demands it!" Trump concluded.
Best had been previously arrested on a misdemeanor charge of unlawful entry after walking into a restricted area of the White House grounds, saying “he was Jesus Christ" in July 2025, CNN and the NYT reported, citing court documents. The Secret Service also saw him “walking around the White House complex inquiring how to gain access at various entry posts.”
Best was barred from the White House area following his arrest. A bench warrant was issued after he failed to appear at a hearing that August, per the outlets. He reportedly had no pending warrants at the time.
Best had briefly been involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital in June 2025, after blocking a vehicle entry on the east side of the White House, CNN and the NYT reported.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Credit: Al Drago/Getty
An estimated 10 to 20 shots were fired at a security booth outside the White House, on Saturday, May 23, according to CBS News. The White House was placed on lockdown amid the incident until just after 6:45 p.m. local time.
ABC News senior White House correspondent Selina Wang shared a video of the shooting on X, while recording on her iPhone from the White House North Lawn.
"It sounded like dozens of gunshots," Wang captioned the clip, in which she is seen diving onto the ground following the gunshots. "We were told to sprint to the press briefing room where we are holding now.”
Representatives from the White House, Secret Service and FBI did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for further comment.
Read the full article here
