By Evan Perez, Alejandra Jaramillo, Julia Benbrook, Holmes Lybrand and Josh Campbell, CNN
Members of the US Secret Service work scene of a shooting near the White House on May.
Photo: AFP / ROBERTO SCHMIDT
Secret Service officers shot and killed a person who the agency said approached a security checkpoint Saturday near the White House and fired at them.
Shortly before 6pm ET (10am NZST), an individual approached a checkpoint just outside the White House complex and began firing at officers, the spokesperson said, citing a preliminary investigation.
Secret Service officers returned fire and hit the suspect, who later died at an area hospital, the spokesperson said.
“During the shooting, a bystander was also struck by gunfire. It remains unclear whether the bystander was struck by the suspect’s initial gunfire or during the subsequent exchange of gunfire,” the spokesperson added.
Secret Service personnel were not injured, and President Donald Trump was in the residence and unaffected, the spokerson said. He’s been briefed on the incident by the Secret Service, a White House official said.
The bystander is in critical condition, according to a law enforcement official.
The suspect has been identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best, three sources told CNN.
Best had previous encounters with the Secret Service, one law enforcement source said, including an incident in June 2025 in which he blocked an entry lane at the White House. After claiming he was “God,” he was detained by the Secret Service and committed to the Psychiatric Institute of Washington for mental evaluation, the source said.
The following month, in July 2025, the Secret Service arrested Best again after he attempted to enter a White House complex driveway, the source said. A judge issued an order demanding he stay away from the White House grounds.
While investigating the encounters last year, investigators discovered Best had made various statements on social media, including claiming he was “the real” Osama bin Laden, and at least one post indicating his desire to harm Trump, the source said.
But police had never encountered the suspect behaving violently or wielding a weapon before, according to a law enforcement source.
Gunshots trigger rapid security response
CNN reporters heard what appeared to be dozens of gunshots near the White House shortly after 6pm ET (10am NZST), triggering a roughly 40-minute lockdown for the press on the grounds and a rapid response from the Secret Service.
The sounds of gunfire broke out nearly an hour after a press lid had been called at 5.06 pm ET (9.06am NZST) – a signal that reporters were not expecting to see Trump again for the remainder of the day. By that point, many journalists and White House press staff had already departed the complex.
An armed Secret Service agent reacts at the White House in Washington, DC, after gunshots were apparently heard on May 23, 2026.
Photo: AFP / BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI
Members of the press corps on the North Lawn were rushed into the White House briefing room, where they were told to shelter in place as Secret Service agents shouted “get down” and warned of “shots fired.”
CNN counted roughly two dozen journalists sheltering inside the briefing room during the lockdown, including photographers, producers, photojournalists and correspondents.
Secret Service agents carrying rifles could be seen moving through the North Lawn area following the incident and blocking the White House press briefing room. The lockdown was lifted just after 6.45pm ET (10.45am NZST).
FBI is on the scene and supporting Secret Service responding to shots fired near White House grounds – we will update the public as we’re able
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) May 23, 2026
The incident unfolded after several top administration officials, including White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Vice President JD Vance, were captured by CNN cameras leaving the White House grounds.
Trump remained in Washington this weekend after canceling a planned trip to his golf club in New Jersey.
CNN has reached out to the White House, DC Metropolitan Police, and the DC Fire and EMS Department for comment. FBI Director Kash Patel said on X that the agency was on the scene and supporting Secret Service.
Selina Wang, ABC News’ chief White House correspondent, posted a video on X showing the moment the apparent shots rang out and she ducked for cover.
I was in the middle of taping on my iPhone for a social video from the White House North Lawn when we heard the shots. It sounded like dozens of gunshots. We were told to sprint to the press briefing room where we are holding now. pic.twitter.com/iqdQwh4soq
— Selina Wang (@selinawangtv) May 23, 2026
“I was in the middle of taping on my iPhone for a social video from the White House North Lawn when we heard the shots. It sounded like dozens of gunshots. We were told to sprint to the press briefing room where we are holding now,” she posted.
The incident comes less than a month after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where reporters and Trump administration officials ducked for cover as shots rang out.
The suspect in that shooting, Cole Tomas Allen, sprinted through a security checkpoint with a shotgun in hand, exchanging fire with Secret Service agents who chased behind him, according to security footage. He has pleaded not guilty to attempting to assassinate Trump and to other charges.
– CNN