Gunfire Erupts Outside White House, Sends Reporters Sprinting for Cover as Secret Service Kills Suspect
WASHINGTON — Chaos exploded just steps from the White House Saturday evening when a gunman allegedly opened fire at a Secret Service checkpoint, triggering a rapid exchange of gunfire that sent journalists diving for cover and locked down one of the most heavily guarded places on earth.
The suspect — identified by Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department as 21-year-old Nasire Best of Dundalk, Maryland — was shot by Secret Service officers after authorities say he pulled a weapon from a bag and began firing near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW shortly after 6 p.m.
“Secret Service police officers returned fire, striking the suspect, who was transported to an area hospital, where he later died,” the agency said in a statement.
One bystander was also hit during the mayhem, though officials said investigators are still trying to determine whether the individual was struck by the suspect’s gunfire or during the exchange with officers. The victim was later reported in serious but stable condition.
No Secret Service personnel were injured.
The terrifying scene unfolded while President Donald Trump was inside the White House working in the Oval Office with aides, according to administration officials.
But for reporters outside, the eruption of gunfire turned a routine evening into a mad scramble.
ABC News correspondent Selina Wang said she was filming a social media segment on the North Lawn when the shots rang out.
“I was in the middle of taping on my iPhone for a social video from the White House North Lawn when we heard the shots,” Wang wrote on X. “It sounded like dozens of gunshots. We were told to sprint to the press briefing room where we are holding now.”
Witnesses described an eruption of rapid gunfire that shattered the calm around the White House grounds. Journalists and staff members were quickly rushed inside as security teams locked down the area.
Trump praised the officers involved and pointed to the incident as another reminder of mounting security threats.
“Thank you to our great Secret Service and Law Enforcement for the swift and professional action taken this evening against a gunman near the White House, who had a violent history and possible obsession with our Country’s most cherished structure,” Trump wrote on social media.
“The National Security of our Country demands it!”
Sean Curran also commended the response, writing: “Our officers continue to operate heroically in a heightened political threat environment.”
Authorities say Best was already known to the Secret Service.
Court records show a stay-away order involving the White House had been issued against him in July 2025 after he allegedly tried to breach security and enter the White House complex. During that encounter, records indicate Best told officers he was “Jesus Christ” and allegedly said he wanted to be arrested. In a separate incident weeks earlier, he had reportedly been involuntarily committed.
The shooting also adds to a troubling recent pattern around the White House and President Trump.
Saturday’s incident marked the third gun-related security event in the president’s orbit in roughly the last month, according to reports, following another shooting tied to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner area and a separate armed security incident.
Federal investigators, including the FBI, remain on scene as authorities continue trying to determine what drove the attack and whether warning signs were missed.
For a few minutes Saturday night, the heavily fortified White House grounds looked less like a tourist landmark and more like an active war zone.
