Gunman fatally shot, bystander wounded outside White House

(NewsNation) — A man who fired a gun at a White House security checkpoint Saturday evening was fatally shot by the Secret Service, and a bystander was wounded, authorities said.

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The shooting suspect was identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best. Reuters reports he was an emotionally disturbed person who previously had been under a “stay-away order,” according to a law enforcement source.

The 6 p.m. incident unfolded outside at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW when a man reached into a bag, pulled out a weapon and began firing, the Secret Service said on X. Officers returned fire and struck the suspect, who was later pronounced dead at a hospital, officials said.

No details were immediately available about the civilian who was struck by gunfire. No officers were injured.

  • heavily armed agent in black on White House driveway
    An armed Secret Service agent reacts at the White House in Washington, DC, after gunshots were apparently heard on May 23, 2026. Police and security forces swarmed the area around the White House on the evening of May 23 after reports of shots fired, AFP journalists said. US President Donald Trump was at the White House at the time as he worked to negotiate a deal with Iran. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
  • Reporters inside White House holding up smart phones
    Reporters, including NewsNation’s Chris Flanagan, left, hold up their phones near a window in the Press Briefing room after a lockdown was triggered at the White House in Washington, DC, on May 23, 2026. Police and security forces swarmed the area around the White House on the evening of May 23 after reports of shots fired, AFP journalists said. US President Donald Trump was at the White House at the time as he worked to negotiate a deal with Iran. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
  • An armed Secret Service agent looks on at the White House in Washington, DC, after gunshots were apparently heard on May 23, 2026. Police and security forces swarmed the area around the White House on the evening of May 23 after reports of shots fired, AFP journalists said. US President Donald Trump was at the White House at the time as he worked to negotiate a deal with Iran. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
  • secret service agents outside White House
    An armed Secret Service agent reacts at the White House in Washington, DC, after gunshots were apparently heard on May 23, 2026. Police and security forces swarmed the area around the White House on the evening of May 23 after reports of shots fired, AFP journalists said. US President Donald Trump was at the White House at the time as he worked to negotiate a deal with Iran. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
  • yellow police tape at White House shooting scene
    WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 23, 2026: Emergency teams work the scene after multiple rapid-fire gunshots ring out near the White House on May 23, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump was reportedly inside the White House working on a peace deal with Iran. (Photo by Andrew Leyden/Getty Images)

Several gunshots were heard by journalists working on the White House grounds before they were rushed inside by the Secret Service. Video showed heavily armed officers moving across the lawn.

“We heard about 25 or 30 rapid what sounded like gunshots,” said NewsNation reporter Chris Flanagan, who was working about 200 yards away from the shooting scene. “The Secret Service, they just hurried everybody into the press briefing room, getting us in here as quickly as possible, yelling, ‘Shots fired! Shots fired! Get down! Get down!’”

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The White House was temporarily placed on lockdown as a variety of law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, ATF and U.S. Marshals Service, swarmed the area.

President Donald Trump was at the White House at the time of the shooting after cancelling weekend travel plans. On Saturday, Trump talked with Middle Eastern leaders about a potential end to the U.S. war in Iran. A spokesperson said the president was working late into the evening.

On social media, the president thanked the Secret Service and law enforcement for neutralizing the suspect, whom Trump said “had a violent history and possible obsession with our Country’s most cherished structure.”

Trump was the target of a foiled assassination attempt last month at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

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