A gunman who shot at a White House security checkpoint was killed in an exchange of fire with Secret Service agents on Saturday evening, officials have confirmed.
The BBC’s US media partner CBS named the suspect as Nasire Best, a 21-year-old man who was known to the agency and had a documented history of mental health conditions.
Gunfire rang out just after 18:00 local time (23:00 GMT) – reporters filming outside ducked and ran for cover inside the White House.
US President Donald Trump was at the White House but was unharmed. He thanked officers for their “swift and professional action”.
The shooting comes a month after a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
The incident began when a man pulled a gun from his bag and “began firing” outside the White House at the intersection of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington DC, near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
Secret Service officers posted on the corner returned fire, striking the gunman. He was then taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A bystander was also wounded in the shooting, but the Secret Service did not give further details on their condition. No officers were injured in the attack.
Trump was at the White House at the time, but officials said no “protectees” or operations were impacted.
The suspect was later identified in US media as Nasire Best, who had been known to both the Secret Service and the Metropolitan Police Department, law enforcement sources told CBS.
He used a revolver during the shooting, the sources said.
A source familiar with the investigation told CBS that Best had attempted to gain entry to the White House in July 2025 and had been arrested by officers nearby, after which he spent time at a psychiatric facility. He had been living in Washington DC for 18 months.
“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,” Trump wrote on social media.
Noting that the shooting had occurred since the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was disrupted by a different shooter, he said it showed how important it was “for all future Presidents, to get, what will be, the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington” – a reference to his planned White House ballroom.
On Sunday morning, US House Speaker Mike Johnson said: “We live in a heightened threat environment, it’s a very serious issue.”
Johnson said he spoke to Trump after the shooting but the president did not mention it, adding he “accepts it” as a “risk of the job”.
Writing on X, Senate Majority Leader John Thune praised the Secret Service’s “decisive actions” to protect the president and others.
“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,” Trump wrote on social media.
Noting that the shooting had occurred since the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was disrupted by a different shooter, he said it showed how important it was “for all future Presidents, to get, what will be, the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington” – a reference to his planned White House ballroom.
On Sunday morning, US House Speaker Mike Johnson said: “We live in a heightened threat environment, it’s a very serious issue.”
Johnson said he spoke to Trump after the shooting but the president did not mention it, adding he “accepts it” as a “risk of the job”.
Writing on X, Senate Majority Leader John Thune praised the Secret Service’s “decisive actions” to protect the president and others.
Aaron Navarro, a CBS News reporter, told the BBC he had been on the North Lawn when he heard gunshots, “at points sounding like they were coming from different guns, just outside the grounds”.
“As soon as we heard it, we ducked down and I started to see other reporters starting to run, and you shortly heard Secret Service officers saying ‘get inside, get inside’,” he said.
Once inside, he said reporters were locked down in the press briefing room for around 30 minutes. Outside, they saw Secret Service officers and then, just beyond the grounds, they eventually saw ambulances.
Navarro said it was unclear exactly where Trump was inside the White House when the shooting took place and “whether he even heard it, as it was a good distance [away]”.
He said the shooting took place in a busy area with a cafe and restaurants, but that it was not as busy as it could have been since the shooting occurred on a weekend evening. (BBC News)
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