Gunman killed after opening fire on Secret Service checkpoint outside White House, officials say

WASHINGTON, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th May, 2026) A suspect who opened fire at a White House security checkpoint has been identified by media reports as an emotionally disturbed man who was previously known to authorities.

The gunman was named as 21-year-old Nasire Best from Maryland by multiple US media outlets after he was alleged by the Secret Service to have approached agents, removed a weapon from his bag, and began firing at officers on Saturday evening.

Best was known to the Secret Service and had violated a “stay-away order”, which had been issued to him previously, Reuters news agency reported, and had been identified as an emotionally disturbed person.

President Donald Trump later posted on Truth Social that the gunman was dead after an exchange of gunfire with Secret Service Agents near the White House gates. Trump said he “had a violent history and possible obsession with our Country’s most cherished structure”.

According to CNN, Best blocked an entry lane to the White House in June 2025 and was detained by the Secret Service.

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He was then thought to have been committed to the Psychiatric Institute of Washington for mental evaluation.

The following month, in July, he again tried to enter the White House complex driveway, the news outlet said, leading to a judge ordering him to stay away from the White House grounds.

At least one social media post published by Best had indicated a desire to harm Trump.

The Secret Service said in a statement on Saturday: “Shortly after 6 pm Saturday, an individual approached a Secret Service checkpoint in the area of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW.”

A bystander was also shot in the incident, although according to the service, “it remains unclear whether the bystander was struck by the suspect’s initial gunfire or during the subsequent exchange of gunfire”.

The White House went into lockdown for an hour after multiple shots were heard, while President Trump was in the building working on negotiations with Iran.

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