On the evening of Saturday, a man fired shots at a White House security checkpoint. Secret Service officers, responding to the threat, returned fire and killed the suspect. The gunman was identified as 21‑year‑old Nasir Best of Dundank, Maryland, who had a prior run‑in with law enforcement, including an arrest in July for trying to access White House grounds from another checkpoint. A bystander who was in the cross‑fire was struck by a bullet but was not deemed life‑threatened; he is currently in stable condition. The incident unfolded while President Donald Trump was inside the White House.
Authorities said Best failed to stop after officer commands, claiming to be Jesus Christ and professing a desire to be arrested. The earlier arrest appears to have been part of a pattern of erratic behavior; Best had been a track‑and‑field athlete at Dundak High School, graduating in 2023.
President Trump posted on Truth Social that the suspect had a “possible obsession with our Country’s most cherished structure” and used the incident to underscore the need for robust security upgrades. He has requested $1 billion from Congress for additions to the White House campus, including a new ballroom proposed for the former East Wing. The event follows two more shootings near the president in April and early May—one at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and another near the Washington Monument.
A woman who identified herself as Best’s mother, speaking to the Washington Post, said she had learned that her son had been shot via social media and expressed disbelief, insisting he was never violent. The factual timeline and nature of the bystander’s injury remain under investigation, but the Secret Service has confirmed the suspect was killed in the confrontation.
