In the early hours of Saturday, a shooting at a White House security checkpoint left a bystander wounded and the suspect deceased. The bystander's condition is serious but stable; the Secret Service identified the victim as “not life‑threatening” but did not disclose details of the gunshot wound.
The suspect, 21‑year‑old Nasir Best of Dundalk, Maryland, had begun firing at security officers when they returned with fire. The shoot‑out ended with the suspect being pronounced dead at a hospital.
President Donald Trump, who was at the White House at the time, used Truth Social to call the shooting a “possible obsession” with the nation's most cherished structure and used it to appeal for a $1 billion boost for White House security. He highlighted plans to build a new ballroom on the former East Wing site, framing the incident as a reminder of the need for “the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington, D.C.”
Best’s history with law enforcement is notable. In July of last year he was arrested for attempting to enter White House grounds near a different checkpoint. He reportedly claimed to be Jesus Christ and wanted to be arrested, refusing to comply with officers.
The shooting is the third incident close to the White House in the last month, following an armed assault on the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in April and a gun attack near the Washington Monument earlier this month.
A mother of Best told The Washington Post her son “was never violent, regardless of what people are posting.”
The incident has prompted renewed scrutiny of White House security protocols and the broader issue of violent threats to federal buildings.}
The suspect, 21‑year‑old Nasir Best of Dundalk, Maryland, had begun firing at security officers when they returned with fire. The shoot‑out ended with the suspect being pronounced dead at a hospital.
President Donald Trump, who was at the White House at the time, used Truth Social to call the shooting a “possible obsession” with the nation's most cherished structure and used it to appeal for a $1 billion boost for White House security. He highlighted plans to build a new ballroom on the former East Wing site, framing the incident as a reminder of the need for “the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington, D.C.”
Best’s history with law enforcement is notable. In July of last year he was arrested for attempting to enter White House grounds near a different checkpoint. He reportedly claimed to be Jesus Christ and wanted to be arrested, refusing to comply with officers.
The shooting is the third incident close to the White House in the last month, following an armed assault on the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in April and a gun attack near the Washington Monument earlier this month.
A mother of Best told The Washington Post her son “was never violent, regardless of what people are posting.”
The incident has prompted renewed scrutiny of White House security protocols and the broader issue of violent threats to federal buildings.}
