On a Saturday evening that was supposed to be quiet, the area just outside the White House turned into a crime scene. A 21-year-old man walked up to a Secret Service security checkpoint, pulled a revolver from a bag, and started shooting. Officers returned fire and killed him. A bystander was also hit. And this all happened less than a month after two other separate shooting incidents near the president.
Here’s everything we know about what happened on May 23, 2026, who the gunman was, and why the people responsible for protecting the president are now facing serious questions about how this keeps happening.
What Happened at the Checkpoint
Shortly after 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 23, a man approached a Secret Service checkpoint at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The location sits just outside the White House complex, near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and a Starbucks on Pennsylvania Avenue. It’s a pedestrian plaza along the north side of the White House that had only recently reopened to the public after being closed for months.
The man pulled a weapon from his bag and fired multiple shots in the direction of Secret Service officers. Law enforcement sources estimated somewhere between 15 and 30 total gunshots were fired during the exchange. Officers returned fire and struck the suspect, who was critically injured and transported to George Washington University Hospital. He died there shortly after.
No Secret Service officers were injured in the shooting. One agent was taken to the hospital as a precaution but was not hit. President Trump was inside the White House residence at the time and was, according to the Secret Service, not “impacted.”
A Bystander Was Also Shot
In addition to the gunman, a civilian bystander was struck by gunfire and taken to a local hospital in serious condition. As of the most recent updates, it remains unclear whether the bystander was hit by the suspect’s initial shots or by rounds fired during the return fire from Secret Service officers. That distinction matters a lot, and investigators are still working through the ballistics to determine exactly what happened.
The bystander’s name and condition have not been publicly released. It’s a grim reminder that in a dense, public area like the streets around the White House, any exchange of gunfire puts innocent people directly in the line of fire.
Who Was Nasire Best?
The suspect has been identified as Nasire Best, a 21-year-old from Maryland who had been living in the Washington, D.C. area for roughly 18 months. And here’s the part that will make a lot of people angry: Best was already well known to law enforcement. He wasn’t some unknown figure who appeared out of nowhere. He had a documented trail of encounters with Secret Service and local police going back over a year.
In June 2025, Best was detained by the Secret Service after he blocked an entry lane at the White House, flagged down agents, and made threats. During that encounter, he reportedly claimed he was “God.” He was taken into custody and committed to the Psychiatric Institute of Washington for evaluation.
Then, just two weeks later in July 2025, he was back. Best attempted to enter a White House complex driveway and was arrested on a charge of unlawful entry. During that arrest, he told officers he was Jesus Christ and that he wanted to get arrested. A judge issued a court order demanding he stay away from White House grounds.
Despite the court order, despite the prior arrests, despite being involuntarily committed once already, Best returned to the White House on May 23, 2026. This time with a gun.
His Social Media Was Full of Red Flags
Investigators who looked into Best’s previous encounters with law enforcement found a trail of alarming social media posts. He had claimed on social media that he was “the real” Osama bin Laden. He posted that he was “actually the son of God.” And at least one post explicitly indicated a desire to harm President Trump.
That combination of factors, prior arrests at the White House, involuntary psychiatric commitment, a court order to stay away, and social media posts threatening the president, paints a picture of someone who was broadcasting his intentions well before Saturday evening. Five senior law enforcement officials confirmed Best had a documented history of mental health concerns. Police had never encountered him behaving violently or wielding a weapon before this incident, but the warning signs were clearly there.
The Scene Outside the White House
Evidence of the shooting was visible on the sidewalk just outside the White House complex for hours afterward. Yellow crime scene tape stretched across the pavement. Secret Service officers placed dozens of orange evidence markers on the ground. Medical materials, including what appeared to be purple surgical gloves and emergency response kits, were scattered around the area.
Journalists working on the White House grounds reported hearing what sounded like dozens of gunshots. Multiple reporters were on the North Lawn at the time, and Secret Service agents immediately rushed them into the briefing room. Agents carrying rifles were seen moving across the North Lawn as reporters sheltered in place. The lockdown lasted roughly 40 minutes and was lifted just after 6:45 p.m.
Several reporters captured the moment on video. ABC News correspondent Selina Wang’s footage of the incident was viewed at least 3 million times on X by Saturday evening. CBS News crews who were preparing to record for their weekend broadcast said they “ducked to the ground” when the shooting started before being ushered inside.
Why Trump Was at the White House That Night
President Trump was originally supposed to be somewhere else entirely. He had been scheduled to spend the weekend at his New Jersey golf club and was also expected to attend his son Don Jr.’s wedding in the Bahamas. But on Friday, Trump changed his plans and stayed at the White House, citing ongoing work to negotiate a peace deal to end the war with Iran.
So the president was in the residence when the shooting broke out. The Secret Service confirmed he was unharmed and had been briefed on the situation. Trump posted on Truth Social early Sunday morning, thanking the Secret Service and law enforcement for their quick response. He also used the moment to push for what he described as “the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington, D.C.” for future presidents.
Political Reactions Came Fast
Within hours, lawmakers from both sides weighed in. House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on X that he was “grateful for our brave Secret Service agents who took quick, decisive action to protect President Trump” and offered prayers for the victims. Senate Majority Leader John Thune praised the Secret Service for what he called their “decisive actions.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul stated, “Political violence has no place in America. The quick actions of the Secret Service tonight prevented an already dangerous situation near the White House from becoming even worse.”
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed on social media that FBI personnel were on scene and supporting the Secret Service investigation. The FBI, ATF, and Metropolitan Police Department are all assisting with the ongoing case. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said he was closely monitoring the situation.
White House communications director Steven Cheung confirmed the president was still working at 8:00 p.m. that evening, dealing with escalating tensions involving Iran alongside the aftermath of the shooting.
The Third Shooting Near the President in a Month
What makes this incident so alarming is the pattern. This was the third separate instance of gunfire in the vicinity of President Trump in roughly four weeks.
On April 25, 2026, a man named Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, rushed a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton. He was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives. He shot a Secret Service officer in the chest (the officer survived thanks to a ballistic vest) before being subdued. Allen has since been charged with attempting to assassinate the president, along with other federal counts. He pleaded not guilty.
Then on May 4, Secret Service officers shot a suspect near the Washington Monument, several blocks from the White House. Michael Marx, 45, of Midland, Texas, was charged in connection with that incident after allegedly firing at officers.
Three shootings in 29 days. All within blocks of the White House. That’s an extraordinary and disturbing stretch that raises serious questions about security in the nation’s capital.
What Happens Next
The investigation into Saturday’s shooting is ongoing, with multiple federal and local agencies involved. The big question that officials will need to answer is how a person with Best’s history, someone who had been arrested at the White House twice, involuntarily committed to a psychiatric facility, ordered by a court to stay away from the grounds, and who had posted threats against the president online, was able to walk up to a checkpoint with a loaded revolver and open fire.
The pedestrian plaza where the shooting occurred had only recently reopened to public foot traffic after months of closure. Whether that reopening factored into Saturday’s events is something investigators will likely examine closely.
For now, the Secret Service is crediting their officers’ quick response for preventing a worse outcome. But three shooting incidents near the president in a single month is not a track record that inspires confidence. It suggests something is broken, and simply praising the agents who respond isn’t going to fix it.