Suspect dead after opening fire near White House security checkpoint, Secret Service says
NPR • • general
Key Points:
- A 21-year-old man, Nasire Best, opened fire near a White House security checkpoint on Saturday evening and was fatally shot by Secret Service officers in response; a bystander was also injured, though it is unclear by whose gunfire.
- Best had a prior arrest in July 2025 for attempting unauthorized entry at a different White House checkpoint, during which he made delusional claims and was subject to a court order to stay away from the area.
- This shooting marks the third incident involving gunfire near President Donald Trump in the past month, following an attempted assassination at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in April and a shooting near the Washington Monument in May.
- Secret Service confirmed no officers were injured and that Trump, who was at the White House at the time, was not impacted; FBI personnel are investigating the scene, which showed visible evidence of the shooting.
- The incident occurred close to the location of a fatal shooting last November involving members of the West Virginia National Guard, underscoring ongoing security challenges near the White House complex.