Washington (Somalia Today) – A gunman opened fire near a White House security checkpoint on Saturday evening before US Secret Service officers shot him dead, wounding a bystander and sending journalists and tourists running for cover.
President Donald Trump was inside the White House at the time and was not harmed, officials said.
The shooting came as the 79-year-old president worked on a possible agreement with Iran aimed at ending months of conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy routes.
The confrontation took place shortly after 6:00 pm near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, close to the western edge of the White House complex.
Anthony Guglielmi, the Secret Service’s chief of communications, said a preliminary investigation showed that the man approached the security perimeter, “pulled a weapon from his bag and began firing.”
“Secret Service Police returned fire, striking the suspect who was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced deceased,” Guglielmi said.
“During the shooting, one bystander was also struck by gunfire,” he added, without giving details on the person’s condition.
No Secret Service officers were injured.
Suspect identified
US media identified the suspect as Nasire Best, 21, of Maryland, citing law enforcement officials.
Court records cited by the Associated Press said Best had been arrested in 2025 after trying to enter another White House checkpoint without authorisation. A judge later ordered him to stay away from the area.
The FBI joined the response.
“FBI is on the scene and supporting Secret Service responding to shots fired near White House grounds,” FBI Director Kash Patel said on X, adding that officials would update the public when possible.
Trump praised law enforcement in a post on Truth Social, saying the gunman had a “violent history and possible obsession” with the White House.
“Thank you to our great Secret Service and Law Enforcement for the swift and professional action taken this evening,” Trump wrote.
The president said the incident showed the need for “the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington, D.C.,” referring to his controversial White House ballroom project.
Police and security forces flooded the area after the shooting and cordoned off streets near the White House, while National Guard troops blocked access to parts of downtown Washington.
“We heard probably 20 to 25 what sounded like fireworks, but they’re gunshots, and then everyone started running,” Canadian tourist Reid Adrian told AFP.
Journalists working on the White House North Lawn said officers ordered them to run and shelter in the press briefing room.
ABC News correspondent Selina Wang was recording a social media video when the gunfire erupted, capturing the sound of shots as she dropped to the ground.
“It sounded like dozens of gunshots,” she wrote on X.
Security fears
The incident marked the latest in a series of security scares involving Trump and the Secret Service.
On April 25, a man armed with guns and knives allegedly tried to breach a checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, where Trump and senior administration officials were attending a media gala.
The Justice Department later charged Cole Tomas Allen with attempting to assassinate the president.
“The evidence is abundantly clear: Cole Tomas Allen travelled to Washington D.C. for the purpose of assassinating President Trump and targeting members of the Trump administration,” Patel said at the time.
Earlier this month, Secret Service officers also exchanged fire with an armed man near the Washington Monument shortly after Vice President JD Vance’s motorcade passed through the area. The suspect was wounded, and a juvenile bystander was also struck.
Trump survived an assassination attempt during a July 2024 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a gunman killed one spectator and wounded the then-candidate in the ear.
Two months later, another armed man was arrested near Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, while he was playing a round.
“Thank God President Trump is safe,” House Republicans said on X after Saturday’s shooting.
“Endless gratitude to the Secret Service for their immediate, heroic response. Political violence has to stop.”
White House project
The string of incidents has intensified scrutiny of presidential security and strengthened Trump’s argument for expanding fortifications at the White House.
Trump has defended a $400 million ballroom project to replace the East Wing, saying the facility will include advanced security features, a drone-resistant roof, and several underground levels, including space he has described as a military hospital.
Critics have questioned the cost, design and demolition of part of the historic White House complex. But Trump has cast the project as necessary in an era of rising threats against public officials.
Saturday’s shooting is likely to renew that debate as investigators work to determine the gunman’s motive and whether the wounded bystander was hit by the suspect’s fire or by shots fired during the Secret Service response.
