A gunman was killed by US Secret Service agents on Saturday evening after opening fire near the White House security perimeter, with one bystander also struck during the exchange.
The incident occurred shortly after 6:00 pm local time when the suspect — identified by multiple US media outlets as Nasire Best, 21, of Maryland — pulled a weapon from his bag and began shooting. Secret Service agents returned fire, fatally wounding him. He was transported to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.President Donald Trump, 79, was inside the White House at the time and was unaffected. He had spent the day working on negotiations with Iran.
Secret Service communications chief Anthony Guglielmi confirmed no officers were injured and did not provide details on the bystander’s condition.Trump later posted on Truth Social, praising law enforcement for their “swift and professional action” and noting the suspect had “a violent history and possible obsession” with the White House.
Reports indicated Best had a history of mental health concerns and multiple prior interactions with Secret Service personnel.Witnesses described chaos at the scene. “We heard probably 20 to 25 what sounded like fireworks, but they’re gunshots, and then everyone started running,” said Reid Adrian, a Canadian tourist.
ABC News correspondent Selina Wang, who had been filming nearby, captured audio of the shots before diving to the ground, later describing it as sounding like “dozens of gunshots.
“The shooting marks the fourth alleged threat against Trump since his 2024 campaign, following a July 2024 rally shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania where a gunman killed one audience member and grazed Trump’s ear a West Palm Beach golf course arrest months later, and an April 2025 security breach at a hotel gala.
House Republicans responded on X: “Thank God President Trump is safe. Endless gratitude to the Secret Service for their immediate, heroic response. Political violence has to stop.”
