Gunman killed by Secret Service outside White House identified as Nasire Best

Nasire Best has been identified as the 21-year-old man shot and killed by agents outside the White House on Saturday (May 23), and was already known to the Secret Service.

Agents shot the man, identified as Best by law enforcement sources who spoke to CNN, when he approached a checkpoint outside the White House and began shooting at officers.

While Trump, who was in the White House at the time, was unharmed, a bystander was hit in the exchange of fire at around 18:00 local time, but it remains unclear whether they sustained any injuries.

The Secret Service also stated that none of its officers were injured.

Best, who was previously arrested in July 2025 after he tried to access the White House, was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital.

Court records show one occasion where the 21-year-old was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital, and another incident when police arrested him while claiming he was 'Jesus Christ'.

Nasire Best, 21, was already known to authorities prior to the shooting yesterday (May 23). (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Similarly on his social media accounts, he appears to have claimed in one post that he is 'actually the son of God', while in another he threatens violence against President Trump.

Officers had encountered the individual multiple times near the White House last summer, with records claiming that he was known for 'walking around the White House complex inquiring how to gain access at various entry points'.

In June 2026 he 'obstructed vehicle entry' to part of the White House complex, and on July 10 he walked into a restricted area of the White House.

Multiple reporters were outside the grounds yesterday (May 23) in Washington DC when the gunshots rang out across the lawn.

Selina Wang, a journalist with ABC News, said that she was instructed to 'sprint to the press briefing room' as the White House went into lockdown.

President Trump issued a statement following the incident. (Al Drago for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The president released a statement on Truth Social following the incident, in which he thanked the Secret Service and law enforcement for their 'swift and professional' action.

He wrote: "He [Best] had a violent history and possible obsession with our Country’s most cherished structure.

"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. The National Security of our Country demands it!"

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