Suspect shot, killed after opening fire on agents near White House, Secret Service says

Members of the media clear the North Lawn following reports of gunfire on May 23. A man who allegedly opened fire on Secret Service agents near the White House was shot and killed, according to the agency. Photo by Aaron Schwartz /Photographer: Aaron Schwartz/Blo

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A man was shot by U.S. Secret Service agents near the White House on Saturday after he opened fire with a handgun, according to a statement from the agency.

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The man had been pacing along the street for some time before he approached a police checkpoint, pulled a pistol from his bag and began firing indiscriminately, said a person familiar with the matter who was granted anonymity to describe a sensitive investigation.

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Officers returned fire, striking the suspect, who was transported to an area hospital, where he later died, the Secret Service said in the statement.

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A bystander was also struck during the shooting. It wasn’t clear whether the person was hit by the suspect’s initial gunfire or in the exchange that followed.

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Members of the U.S. Secret Service tend to a wounded man on the scene of a shooting near the White House on May 23, 2026 in Washington, D.C. Photo by Roberto Schmidt /Getty Images

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The suspect was identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best, according to the person. He had a prior encounter with authorities near the White House in July 2025, when he was arrested for unlawful entry after walking into a restricted area at a pedestrian checkpoint, court records show.

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He had been involuntarily held for a mental assessment by the authorities weeks earlier, in June 2025, after obstructing a vehicle entrance to the White House complex, according to the records.

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The shooting occurred near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, outside the White House complex.

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Reporters were hustled off the White House lawn and into the building as the campus was briefly locked down.

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More than two hours before the incident, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung posted that President Donald Trump was in the executive mansion. Trump was the only Secret Service protectee at the White House at the time of the shooting, the person said.

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Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel posted on X that his agency is also assisting the Secret Service.

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Saturday’s incident comes a little under a month after federal agents arrested a man at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner for attempting to assassinate Trump. The suspect attempted to charge through a security checkpoint with firearms.

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