WASHINGTON — The Secret Service fatally shot a person who opened fire on officers at a security checkpoint Saturday in an exchange of gunfire that briefly locked down the White House, officials said.
The shooting happened shortly after 6 p.m. when a male approached the Secret Service checkpoint at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, pulled a gun from a bag and opened fire on officers, the Secret Service said in a statement.
The officers returned fire and shot the suspect, who was taken to a hospital, where he later died, the Secret Service said. The suspect was identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best of Dundalk, Maryland, the Metropolitan Police Department said Sunday.
A bystander was also shot, the Secret Service said Saturday. The victim, a man, sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and remains hospitalized, police said.
The Secret Service said the shooting remains under investigation. The officer-involved shooting is also under investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department.
Best had a documented history with local law enforcement, and five senior law enforcement officials said he had a history of mental health concerns.
Best was arrested on a charge of unlawful entry on July 10 after he walked into a restricted area near the White House, according to a court document filed in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia. During that incident, he claimed he was Jesus Christ and that he wanted to get arrested, the filing said.
He was known to the U.S. Secret Service for walking around the White House complex asking about how to gain access at various entry posts, the filing said.
In June, he was involuntarily committed for obstructing vehicle entry to the White House complex, the document said.
A possible motive in Saturday’s shooting was not immediately clear.
President Donald Trump, who was at the White House at the time, was not injured, the Secret Service said. There were no injuries to agents, the agency said.
A White House official confirmed the Secret Service briefed Trump about the incident.
In a post on Truth Social early Sunday, Trump thanked law enforcement for their actions to stop the gunman and reiterated his call for building “the most safe and secure space of its kind,” likely a reference to the White House ballroom project.
An NBC News team at the White House heard between 20 and 30 gunshots at around 6:04 p.m., and Secret Service agents urged reporters who were gathered outside on the North Lawn to run inside the press briefing room.
The Secret Service was posted just outside the room with guns drawn as the White House went into lockdown.
The lockdown, which included the White House grounds, was lifted at 6:46 p.m.
FBI Director Kash Patel said on X that the FBI was on the scene and supporting the Secret Service. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is also assisting the Secret Service and the Metropolitan Police Department.
Vice President JD Vance was at the White House earlier Sunday, but it is unclear if he was there at the time of the shooting.
The shooting occurred on the west end of Pennsylvania Avenue, a pedestrian plaza that runs along the north side of the White House. Days earlier, part of the plaza had reopened to the public following a monthslong closure.
The U.S. Capitol Police did not immediately respond to a request for information on the situation.
Julie Tsirkin and Megan Shannon reported from Washington, Tom Winter and Jonathan Dienst from New York and Marlene Lenthang from Los Angeles.
