A barrage of gunfire erupted steps from the White House on Saturday after a suspect pulled a weapon and opened fire on Secret Service officers at a nearby checkpoint. Agents returned fire, killing the suspect.
“A preliminary investigation indicates that as the individual approached, he removed a weapon from his bag and began firing at posted officers,” the U.S. Secret Service said in a statement. “Secret Service police officers returned fire, hitting the suspect, who was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died.”
The New York Post is reporting the guy who started shooting is 21-year-old Nasire Best.
He used a revolver and only got off a few shots before he was quickly shot and killed in a hail of bullets from federal officers.
While authorities have not confirmed a motive, sources told The New York Post that Best is believed to be mentally troubled, allegedly claimed to be Jesus Christ, and was already known to the Secret Service. Sources also said he had previously violated a court order requiring him to stay away from the White House.
A bystander was also hit during the shooting, though investigators say it remains unclear whether the person was hit by the suspect’s gunfire or during the “subsequent exchange of gunfire.”
(Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
Around 6 p.m., reporters gathered on the White House North Lawn were suddenly rushed into the briefing room after hearing what sounded like nearly 30 gunshots nearby.
“I was in the middle of taping on my iPhone for a social video from the White House North Lawn when we heard the shots. It sounded like dozens of gunshots. We were told to sprint to the press briefing room where we are holding now,” ABC reporter Selina Wang posted on X.
The Secret Service said none of its officers were injured during the shooting and confirmed that President Donald Trump “was at the White House during the incident but was not impacted.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said federal agents are assisting with the investigation.
More dramatic video showed U.S. Secret Service agents shouting at reporters to evacuate their camera positions.
Secret Service orders members of the press to abandon their reporting pods on the north lawn of the White House and go toward the briefing room after dozens of shots were heard nearby
Via @NewsNation https://t.co/XDPJhCybVP pic.twitter.com/rPTGsgCGZz
— OSZ (@OpenSourceZone) May 23, 2026
(Photo by Ulysse BELLIER / AFP via Getty Images)
The shooting came roughly an hour after Trump announced that a deal aimed at ending the conflict with Iran was close to being finalized.
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