Saturday evening felt like any other quiet holiday weekend near the White House — until the gunshots rang out.
A 21-year-old Maryland man, identified as Nasire Best, pulled a gun from his bag and opened fire at a Secret Service security checkpoint near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue — just steps from the White House grounds. Secret Service officers quickly returned fire. Best was rushed to George Washington University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“He had a violent history and a possible obsession with the White House.” — President Trump, Truth Social
What makes this story even more alarming — this wasn’t Best’s first time showing up at the White House. Court records show he had been arrested in July 2025 for entering a restricted area, and was once involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital after blocking a vehicle entry gate. During one encounter, he reportedly told officers he was Jesus Christ.
A bystander was also struck by gunfire during the chaos. Their condition remains unclear. The White House was briefly placed on lockdown, and journalists on the North Lawn were rushed inside as 15 to 30 gunshots echoed through the area.
President Trump, who was inside the White House at the time, later posted on Truth Social thanking Secret Service for their “swift and professional action.” This is now the third shooting incident near a top U.S. official in just one month.
