White House gunman had criminal record, history of mental health issues
The man fatally shot by Secret Service agents after authorities said he opened fire at a White House security checkpoint Saturday had a documented history of encounters with law enforcement and mental health concerns.
“Thank you to our great Secret Service and Law Enforcement for the swift and professional action taken this evening against a gunman near the White House, who had a violent history and possible obsession with our Country’s most cherished structure,” President Donald Trump wrote early Sunday morning on Truth Social.
“The gunman is dead after an exchange of gunfire with Secret Service Agents near the White House gates.”
The dead gunman was identified as Nasire Best, a 21-year-old Maryland man, who was previously “known to United States Secret Service” around the White House complex, according to a July 2025 D.C. Superior Court filing.
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In that incident, Best walked into a restricted area at a White House pedestrian access control post, ignored commands to stop and “claimed he was Jesus Christ and that he wanted to get arrested,” according to the filing. He was arrested on an unlawful entry charge in that incident.
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The filing said Best interacted with the Secret Service, walking around the White House complex and asking how to gain access at various entry posts. It also said he had been involuntarily committed in June 2025 after obstructing vehicle entry to the White House complex.
Officers requested a stay-away order barring Best from the White House area after the July arrest, according to the filing.
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The New York Post reported that a bench warrant was later issued after Best failed to appear for a subsequent hearing.
Then, Saturday, Best approached a checkpoint near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW shortly after 6 p.m. ET, pulled a gun from a bag and opened fire on Secret Service officers. Officers returned fire, striking Best, who was taken to a hospital and later died.
A bystander was also wounded, though officials had not said who fired the round that struck that person or released the person’s condition. No Secret Service agents were injured. Trump was inside the White House at the time and was briefed on the shooting.
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His overnight post added a call for White House security, which is being removed from the Senate’s now-stalled budget reconciliation package.
“This event is one month removed from the White House Correspondent’s Dinner shooting, and goes to show how important it is, for all future Presidents, to get, what will be, the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington, D.C.,” Trump’s post concluded. “The National Security of our Country demands it!”
The shooting briefly placed the White House on lockdown. Reporters on the North Lawn were rushed into the press briefing room as agents responded with weapons drawn. The lockdown was lifted at 6:46 p.m. ET.
Authorities had not announced a motive as of early Sunday. The FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were assisting the Secret Service and Metropolitan Police Department in the investigation.
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