An individual opened fire on a security checkpoint near the White House in Washington on Saturday evening, before being shot by Secret Service officers. An innocent bystander was injured during the shooting, according to authorities.
President Donald Trump, who has been the target of three alleged assassination attempts in the past two years, was in the White House at the time of the shooting. He had canceled all weekend trips due to the crisis with Iran. The president was not affected by the incident, as stated by Anthony Guglielmi, spokesperson for the Secret Service, the law enforcement agency responsible for protecting the presidency and vice presidency.
Mental health issues and history of violence
Shortly after 6 p.m., a man near the White House security perimeter “took out a weapon from his bag and opened fire,” wrote Anthony Guglielmi. “Secret Service police officers responded and shot the suspect, who was taken to a local hospital where his death was confirmed. During the shooting, a bystander was also hit by bullets,” added the official, without providing details on the bystander’s condition. No Secret Service agent was injured.
“Thank you to our fantastic Secret Service agents and law enforcement for their swift and professional response tonight against an armed man near the White House, who had a history of violence and seemed fixated on the most precious building in our country,” wrote Donald Trump on his social media platform. Several American media outlets have identified the suspect as Nasire Best, a 21-year-old man from Maryland, near Washington, who had a history of mental health issues and was already known to the Secret Service for loitering around the White House on several occasions.
Access to the building was locked
Canadian tourist Reid Adrian stated that he was in the area when “we heard between 20 and 25 detonations that sounded like fireworks, but they were gunshots, and everyone started running.” The police locked access to the White House, and National Guard soldiers prevented a journalist from entering the area.
Journalists on the north lawn at the time reported being ordered to seek refuge in the White House press room. ABC News correspondent Selina Wang was recording a video for social media when gunshots apparently rang out. She captured the sound of the shots as she took cover. “It sounded like dozens of gunshots,” she said.
Donald Trump, 79 years old, has been the target of three alleged assassination attempts, with the most recent one occurring on April 25 when an armed man assaulted a security checkpoint near the ballroom where the president was dining with the media. In July 2024, while campaigning for the presidency, Trump was targeted at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania by a young man who shot several rounds, killing one spectator and lightly injuring the candidate in the ear before being shot by security forces. A few months later, another armed man was arrested on a golf course in West Palm Beach where Trump was playing.
“Thankfully, President Trump is safe,” wrote the House Republicans on X after Saturday evening’s shooting. “We express our infinite gratitude to the Secret Service for their immediate and heroic intervention. Political violence must stop.”
