On Saturday, a man opened fire at a White House security checkpoint, firing multiple shots and triggering a lockdown at one of the most heavily guarded sites in the world.
The gunman has been identified as Nasire Best, a 21-year-old from Maryland. According to a report from Fox News Digital, shortly after 6 p.m. ET, Best approached a Secret Service checkpoint near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, pulled a firearm from a bag, and started shooting.
Secret Service agents returned fire immediately. Best was struck, transported to George Washington University Hospital, and later pronounced dead.
No Secret Service personnel were wounded in the exchange of fire, but a bystander was hit and taken to an area hospital.
Law enforcement sources say between 15 and 30 shots were fired near the White House perimeter, close to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which houses key offices for the administration.
“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,” President Donald Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Sunday morning.
“This event is one month removed from the White House Correspondent’s 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.,” Trump added. “The National Security of our Country demands it!”
What makes this more alarming than a random attack is that Best wasn’t a stranger to the Secret Service. Not even close.
Authorities confirmed Best was already known to the agency through prior encounters near the White House complex. Court filings from a July 2025 case in D.C. Superior Court describe him as “known to United States Secret Service” in connection with concerning behavior around the complex. On at least one prior occasion, Best was arrested after claiming he was Jesus Christ and telling officers he wanted to be arrested. That episode resulted in him being involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital for evaluation and treatment.
Related: Why Do So Many Attacks on Trump Involve Individuals with Mental Health Issues?
Investigators are now combing through his criminal record, court filings, and mental health history to piece together how Saturday’s attack came together. The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have joined the investigation alongside the Secret Service and the Metropolitan Police Department.
Investigators are reviewing surveillance footage, interviewing witnesses, and working to determine how Best obtained the firearm, how he traveled to the area, and whether anyone else knew what he was planning. As of early Sunday, no motive had been established. Officials indicated preliminary findings suggest Best acted alone, but cautioned the investigation remains active.
This shooting is the latest in a string of incidents involving gunfire in the vicinity of President Donald Trump, which raises some uncomfortable questions about why this keeps happening.
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