Suspect Killed After Opening Fire on Secret Service Near White House

KSTP

The White House.

A suspect was killed in an exchange of gunfire with United States Secret Service agents near the White House on Saturday evening, according to U.S. officials.

CBS News identified the suspect as Nasire Best, a 21-year-old man who was reportedly known to the Secret Service and had a documented history of mental health issues.

In a post to Truth Social, Donald Trump thanked the Secret Service for their "swift and professional action" in apprehending the gunman, who he said had a "violent history and possible obsession with our Country's most cherished structure".

The incident comes one month after a separate shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Authorities said the latest attack remains under investigation, with road closures around the White House expected to remain in place overnight.

According to officials, shortly before 18:00 local time (23:00 GMT), the suspect allegedly removed a firearm from a bag and began firing near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, close to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

Secret Service officers returned fire, striking the suspect, who was later pronounced dead in hospital.

One bystander was also injured in the incident, although authorities have not released further details regarding their condition. No Secret Service personnel were reported injured.

President Trump was reportedly in residence at the White House at the time, but "no protectees or operations were impacted," the Secret Service said.

CBS News and other U.S. media outlets later identified the suspect as Nasire Best. Law enforcement sources told CBS that he was known to both the United States Secret Service and the Metropolitan Police Department, and that he used a revolver during the shooting.

A source familiar with the investigation told CBS that Best had previously attempted to enter the White House in July 2025 and was arrested nearby by the Secret Service. Following the incident, he reportedly spent time in a psychiatric facility. He had been living in Washington, D.C. for the past eighteen months.

"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," President Trump wrote in a post on social media.

He noted that the event was one month removed from the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting, and said it showed how important it was "for all future Presidents, to get, what will be, the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington".

Source: BBC



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