The White House went into a lockdown Saturday evening after two people were shot in an encounter with the Secret Service.
The suspect accused of opening fire on a Secret Service security booth has been identified as Nasire Best, 21, according to Fox News. He was pronounced dead by the Secret Service shortly after 8 p.m. after being taken to the hospital.
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The accused shooter has a history of mental health issues and “had an incident with U.S. Secret Service in July 2025 in which he tried to gain entry to the White House and was arrested,” according to CBS News. He had been living in Washington, D.C., for the last year and a half, according to a source familiar with the investigation, and was sent to a psychiatric ward after the 2025 arrest.
The incident occurred near the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and 17th Street Northwest, and the lockdown was lifted just after 6:45 p.m.
The agency confirmed a bystander “was also struck by gunfire” during the shooting, and that no injuries were sustained by officers. The severity of the bystanders’ injuries is currently unknown.
The House GOP expressed “Endless gratitude to the Secret Service for their immediate, heroic response” in a post on X, adding that “Political violence has to stop.”
Many other lawmakers condemned political violence in short statements on X.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said, “I’m horrified that gunshots have been fired near the White House and grateful to the Secret Service for their swift response. There is no room for political violence in our democracy.” Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) also said, “Political violence has no place in America.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said immediately after the incident, the “FBI is on the scene and supporting Secret Service responding to shots fired near White House grounds.”
About 20 to 30 gunshots were heard by reporters gathered on the North Lawn. A viral social media video shows ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Selina Wang ducking for cover in a media tent while shooting a video at the northwestern corner of the White House grounds.
President Donald Trump was at the White House at the time of the shooting, having just made an announcement about negotiations regarding the war in Iran. He has been briefed on the shooting and wasn’t affected.
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The incident comes less than a month after the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in late April. Two National Guard members were also shot near the White House in late November.
Secret Service members cleared the lawn and told reporters to go to the White House Briefing Room upon the shots being fired.
