A man who opened fire near the White House on Saturday evening was killed in an exchange of gunfire with US Secret Service agents, officials confirmed, according to the BBC.
The suspect was identified by CBS News, the BBC’s US media partner, as 21-year-old Nasire Best, who was reportedly known to the Secret Service and had a documented history of mental health issues.
The US Secret Service said one bystander was also injured in the shooting, although no details about the victim’s condition were immediately available. No law enforcement officers were injured.
The shooting remains under investigation, and several roads around the White House were closed overnight.
The incident took place near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the intersection of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, close to the White House complex. Authorities told CBS News that between 10 and 20 shots were fired during the incident.
According to the Secret Service, the suspect pulled a firearm from a bag and began shooting shortly before 6pm local time (2300 GMT). Secret Service officers returned fire, critically injuring the suspect, who was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
Law enforcement sources told CBS News that Best had previously attempted to gain entry to the White House in July 2025 and was arrested nearby by Secret Service personnel. He later spent time in a psychiatric facility and had reportedly been living in Washington, DC, for the past 18 months.
US President Donald Trump was inside the White House at the time of the shooting, according to officials. A White House official told CBS News that the president had been briefed on the incident, although he had not publicly commented as of Saturday night.
The incident comes a month after a gunman opened fire near the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Following the shooting, journalists on the White House grounds were rushed into the press briefing room.
ABC News senior White House correspondent Selina Wang shared footage on social media showing her taking cover as gunshots echoed across the North Lawn.
“We were told to sprint to the press briefing room where we are holding now,” she wrote on X.
CBS News reporter Aaron Navarro told the BBC that he was on the North Lawn when the gunfire erupted.
“As soon as we heard it we ducked down,” he said, adding that Secret Service agents were shouting at reporters to get inside.
He said journalists were locked down in the briefing room for about 30 minutes while emergency responders arrived at the scene.
CBS News associate producer Emma Nicholson also said in a social media post that her news crew ducked to the ground after hearing what sounded like multiple gunshots before being escorted inside the White House complex.
