Authorities have identified the suspect as 21-year-old Nasire Best after a shooting near the White House on Saturday evening left him dead and a bystander injured. President Donald Trump, who was inside the White House during the incident, was unharmed, officials confirmed.
By PC Bureau
May 24, 2026: Gunfire erupted near the White House on Saturday evening after a man opened fire at a security checkpoint, triggering a shootout with United States Secret Service officers that left the suspect dead and a bystander injured. The incident marks the third shooting near Trump in less than a month.
The gunman who opened fire at the Secret Service checkpoint outside the White House has been identified as Nasire Best, according to a report by the New York Post.
While the gunman’s exact motive remains unclear, reports indicate he had a history of mental instability and had previously been flagged by Secret Service officials for loitering near White House entry checkpoints. Last year, he was reportedly arrested twice for offences including obstructing vehicular traffic and entering a restricted White House pedestrian control area. During one detention by Washington DC police and Secret Service personnel, he allegedly claimed he wanted to be arrested because he believed he was the modern-day incarnation of Jesus Christ.
Investigators are therefore examining whether the shooting stemmed from mental instability, though authorities say they are also probing the possibility of a political motive behind the attack.
🚨Man who believed he was Jesus Christ opened fire at a White House checkpoint before he was neutralized by the Secret Service
Nasire Best, 21, had been known to the Secret Service and had previously been ordered by a court to stay away from the White House
Best fired several… pic.twitter.com/tQR8BN7brj
— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) May 24, 2026
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In a preliminary statement posted on X, the United States Secret Service said the suspect pulled a weapon from a bag shortly after 6 p.m. local time near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue and began firing. Officers immediately returned fire, critically wounding the suspect, who later died at a hospital.
Authorities confirmed the suspect as 21-year-old Nasire Best. A bystander was also injured during the exchange of gunfire, though officials said it remains unclear whether the individual was struck by bullets fired by the suspect or by returning fire from officers.
The Secret Service confirmed that none of its personnel were injured and that Trump remained safe inside the White House throughout the incident.
Journalists stationed at the White House reported hearing multiple gunshots and were instructed to shelter inside the press briefing room. In a post on X, Kash Patel said officers were responding to reports of shots fired and that further updates would follow as the investigation continued.
Crime scene tape and dozens of evidence markers were later seen outside the White House complex, alongside emergency medical equipment scattered across the pavement.
ABC News senior White House correspondent Selina Wang shared dramatic footage on X showing the moment gunfire erupted while she was filming a social media segment near the White House driveway. The video, viewed millions of times within hours, captured Wang ducking for cover as rapid gunshots rang out nearby.
The shooting follows two other recent gunfire incidents linked to Trump’s security perimeter. In April, authorities said an assassination attempt was foiled during the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington. The suspect in that case, Cole Tomas Allen of California, has pleaded not guilty.
Another shooting occurred near the Washington Monument on May 4, when officers shot a man accused of firing at law enforcement personnel. A teenager was injured in that incident.
