{"slug": "officials-identify-man-killed-by-secret-service-after-opening-fire-near-white", "title": "Officials identify man killed by Secret Service after opening fire near White House", "summary": "On Saturday, a man identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best was fatally shot by the U.S. Secret Service after he opened fire on officers at a security checkpoint near the White House. Best had a documented history with local law enforcement and mental health concerns, including a prior arrest for unlawful entry near the White House in July. President Donald Trump was at the White House during the incident but was not injured, and the shooting remains under investigation.", "body_md": "WASHINGTON — The U.S. Secret Service fatally shot a person who opened fire on officers at a security checkpoint on Saturday in an exchange of gunfire that briefly locked down the White House, officials said.\nThe shooting happened shortly after 6 p.m. when a male approached the Secret Service checkpoint at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, pulled a gun from a bag and opened fire on officers, the Secret Service said in a statement.\nThe officers returned fire and shot the suspect, who was taken to a hospital, where he later died, the Secret Service said. The agency said the shooting remains under investigation.\nA bystander was also shot, the Secret Service said, but it was unclear who fired the round that injured that person. Their condition was not immediately available.\nSix senior law enforcement officials briefed on the matter identified the suspect as Nasire Best.\nBest had a documented history with local law enforcement, and five senior law enforcement officials said he has a history of mental health concerns.\nBest, 21, was placed under arrest on a charge of unlawful entry on July 10 after he walked into a restricted area near the White House, according to a court document filed in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia. During that incident, he claimed he was Jesus Christ and that he wanted to get arrested, the filing said.\nHe was known to the U.S. Secret Service for walking around the White House complex asking about how to gain access at various entry posts, the filing said.\nIn June, he was involuntary committed for obstructing vehicle entry to the White House complex, the document said.\nA possible motive in Saturday’s shooting was not immediately clear.\nPresident Donald Trump, who was at the White House at the time, was not injured, the Secret Service said. There were no injuries to agents, the agency said.\nA White House official confirmed the Secret Service briefed Trump about the incident.\nIn a post on Truth Social early Sunday, Trump thanked law enforcement for their action to stop the gunman and reiterated his call the construction of “the most safe and secure space of its kind,” likely a reference to the White House ballroom project.\nAn NBC News team at the White House heard between 20 and 30 gunshots at around 6:04 p.m., and Secret Service agents urged reporters who were gathered outside on the North Lawn to run inside the press briefing room.\nThe Secret Service was posted just outside the room with guns drawn as the White House went into lockdown.\nThe lockdown, which included the White House grounds, was lifted at 6:46 p.m.\nFBI Director Kash Patel said on X that the FBI is on the scene and supporting the Secret Service. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is also assisting the Secret Service and the Metropolitan Police Department.\nVice President JD Vance was at the White House earlier today, but it is unclear if he was there at the time of the shooting.\nThe shooting occurred on the west end of Pennsylvania Avenue, a pedestrian plaza that runs along the north side of the White House. Days earlier, part of plaza had reopened to the public following a monthslong closure.\nThe U.S. Capitol Police did not immediately respond to a request for information on the situation.\nJulie Tsirkin and Megan Shannon reported from Washington, D.C., Tom Winter and Jonathan Dienst from New York and Marlene Lenthang from Los Angeles.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/officials-identify-man-killed-by-secret-service-after-opening-fire-near-white", "canonical_source": "https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/gunshots-reported-near-white-house-rcna346671", "published_at": "2026-05-23 22:53:20+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-05-24 06:04:59.951616+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["cybersecurity", "policy-regulation"], "entities": ["U.S. Secret Service", "Nasire Best", "White House", "17th Street", "Pennsylvania Avenue NW", "Superior Court for the District of Columbia"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/officials-identify-man-killed-by-secret-service-after-opening-fire-near-white", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/officials-identify-man-killed-by-secret-service-after-opening-fire-near-white.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/officials-identify-man-killed-by-secret-service-after-opening-fire-near-white.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/officials-identify-man-killed-by-secret-service-after-opening-fire-near-white.jsonld"}}