A bystander injured in a shooting near the White House on Saturday remains in serious but stable condition, the Secret Service said on Sunday. The victim, who has not been identified, suffered a gunshot wound described as not life-threatening, though the circumstances of how he was hit remain unclear.
The incident occurred around 6 p.m. when a man opened fire at a security checkpoint outside the White House. Secret Service officers returned fire, fatally wounding the gunman, identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best from Dundalk, Maryland. Best was pronounced dead at a hospital, according to the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department.
President Donald Trump was inside the White House at the time, having chosen to skip his son Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding to focus on Iran war talks and other government matters. The shooting marked the third such incident near the president in the past month, following a man storming the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in April and another individual shot by Secret Service near the Washington Monument earlier this month.
In a social media post on Truth Social, Trump suggested the suspect had a “possible obsession with our country’s most cherished structure.” He also used the event to advocate for a proposed ballroom on the White House campus, saying it highlighted the need for the most secure space ever built in Washington, D.C. Trump is seeking $1 billion from Congress for security enhancements, including the ballroom.
Court records show Best had a prior encounter with law enforcement near the White House, having been arrested in July of last year for attempting to enter the grounds at a different checkpoint. He ignored officers’ commands to stop, claimed to be Jesus Christ, and stated he wanted to be arrested. Best graduated from Dundalk High School in 2023, where he was a track and field athlete.
A woman identifying herself as Best’s mother told The Washington Post that she learned of the shooting on social media and was in disbelief, saying her son “was never violent, regardless of what people are posting.”
