Bystander shot near White House as Secret Service kills suspect
A bystander was wounded and taken to surgery after gunfire erupted at a White House checkpoint, where Secret Service officers killed the suspect.
Gunfire near one of the nation’s most heavily guarded buildings left a bystander in stable condition, a suspect dead and investigators still trying to determine who fired the round that struck the injured person.
The shooting happened around 6 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday, May 23, 2026, near a White House security checkpoint at the northwestern corner of the complex. The United States Secret Service said a person approached the checkpoint, removed a weapon from a bag and began firing, prompting officers to return fire. The suspect was later taken to George Washington University Hospital, where he died.
The wounded bystander underwent surgery and was later reported to be in stable condition. The Metropolitan Police Department is now investigating two central questions: who shot the bystander and how many bullets were fired. The Secret Service said it remained unclear whether the bystander was hit by the suspect’s initial gunfire or during the exchange between the suspect and officers.
President Donald Trump was inside the White House at the time, and officials said no protectees or operations were affected. No Secret Service members were hurt. The episode briefly locked down the White House and sent reporters in the press area rushing for cover, underscoring how quickly a fast-moving threat can force a security emergency inside a perimeter built to deter exactly this kind of attack.
Multiple news outlets identified the suspect as 21-year-old Nasire Best of Dundalk, Maryland. Court records cited by those outlets said Best had been arrested in July 2025 after trying to enter another White House checkpoint without authorization, ignoring officers’ commands to stop and saying he wanted to be arrested. News reports also said he had prior encounters with the Secret Service and a documented history of mental health issues.
Trump later thanked law enforcement on social media and said the gunman had a violent history. The Secret Service, which protects the president and the White House, is leading the immediate response at the checkpoint, while the Metropolitan Police Department is tasked with answering the broader accountability question now hanging over the case: how a shooting unfolded so close to the seat of American power, and who exactly was responsible for the injury to a bystander caught in the middle.
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