Secret Service officers shot and killed a man who opened fire at a security checkpoint just outside the White House on Saturday evening, briefly plunging the presidential compound and surrounding streets into lockdown and highlighting renewed concerns over security around the U.S. seat of power. A bystander was also wounded in the exchange of gunfire, according to law enforcement sources, but no Secret Service personnel were injured and President Donald Trump, who was in the Oval Office at the time, was not harmed.
The shooting: “removed a weapon from his bag and began firing”
The incident unfolded shortly after 6 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday, when a man approached a Secret Service checkpoint near the intersection of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, just outside the White House grounds.
In a statement cited by multiple broadcasters, the Secret Service said that, according to a preliminary investigation, “the person approached a checkpoint shortly after 6 p.m. ET, removed a weapon from his bag and began firing at posted officers.” NBC News reported that officers returned fire, striking the suspect, who was transported to a local hospital and later pronounced dead.
Video aired by CNN shows agents abruptly rushing reporters off the North Lawn as shots were heard and shouted commands echoed across the press area. A separate clip circulated by Sky News described a “terrifying moment” as people near the White House grounds were ordered to shelter while officers drew their weapons and moved toward the sound of gunfire.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Washington said the White House went into lockdown “within minutes” of the first reports, with roads sealed and heavily armed officers fanning out around the perimeter.
Casualties: suspect killed, bystander wounded
Law enforcement sources told BBC partner CBS News that two people were hit during the exchange of gunfire: the suspect and a possible bystander. CBS reported that the suspect was in critical condition immediately after the shooting, while the second individual was in serious condition, before officials later confirmed the gunman’s death.
In an overnight special report, NBC News said the U.S. Secret Service had “shot and killed a person who opened fire at a security checkpoint” and that a bystander was injured, though officials did not immediately clarify whether that person was struck by police or suspect gunfire.
Earlier this month, a separate Secret Service shooting near the Washington Monument left a juvenile bystander with a non‑life‑threatening injury, highlighting the risks to civilians when gunfire erupts in heavily visited public areas near the White House.
No Secret Service agents were wounded in Saturday’s incident, the agency said.
Where it happened: a busy edge of the security zone
The shooting took place at one of the most heavily guarded, and heavily trafficked, corners of central Washington. BBC and CBS described the scene as just outside the White House complex at 17th and Pennsylvania, “kind of right outside the White House grounds,” with a gate, security post and several Secret Service vehicles normally stationed there.
In a separate May 4 incident, Secret Service agents shot an armed man near 15th Street and Independence Avenue, close to the Washington Monument and less than a mile from the White House. In that case, the suspect, identified by NBC as 45‑year‑old Michael Marx of Texas, survived, while a teenage bystander suffered a grazing wound from a ricocheted bullet.
Taken together, the two episodes underscore the complicated geography of presidential security: a ring of checkpoints and patrols around a set of monuments and avenues that remain open to tourists, commuters, and protesters.
Witness accounts and lockdown inside the White House
Reporters on the White House beat described a brief but tense lockdown as the situation unfolded. CNN’s video shows press pools being hurried away from the North Lawn driveway, with agents shouting at journalists to move quickly toward the briefing room.
NewsNation, in a segment titled “Shooting outside White House: Reporter recounts chaotic scene,” aired live accounts of journalists hearing “a series of loud pops,” followed by alarms and shouted instructions over radios as law enforcement sprinted toward the western edge of the complex.
A live stream from a national broadcaster showed anchors interrupting regular programming to relay early details: “Fox News reports it was a male gunman armed with a pistol who opened fire around 6:00 p.m.,” one said, adding that “a lockdown at the White House was lifted in just the last hour” once agents determined there were no additional threats.
By late evening, Secret Service said the scene was “contained,” and the security restrictions around the White House were gradually eased, though some streets remained closed as investigators worked.
Who was the gunman, and why did he open fire?
Federal officials have not publicly released the suspect’s name or detailed motive as of Sunday morning.
However, a national network citing law‑enforcement sources reported that the shooter was 21‑year‑old Nasire Best, a man “known to DC police as well as the Secret Service,” with a “documented history with law enforcement and a history of mental health concerns.”
In that report, officials said Best opened fire on a White House security checkpoint before being shot by officers and later dying at the hospital. Other outlets have not yet independently confirmed that identity, and investigators are examining his background, digital footprint, and any potential links to prior threats against the president.
The FBI and Metropolitan Police Department are leading the investigation, with the U.S. attorney’s office for the District of Columbia saying in a brief statement that “this investigation is ongoing” and more details will be released when appropriate.
So far, officials have offered no evidence that the shooter was part of a broader plot, and there is no indication he managed to breach the White House perimeter.
A pattern of incidents and questions over use of force
Saturday’s shooting is at least the second time this month that a Secret Service agent has fired at an armed individual within view of the White House and Washington Monument. On May 4, agents shot Michael Marx after he allegedly fled from plainclothes officers and fired toward them near 15th and Independence; a juvenile bystander was injured, but no agents were hurt.
PBS NewsHour noted that “for the second time in just two weeks, a U.S. Secret Service agent discharged a firearm at an armed individual in Washington, D.C., located under a mile from the White House,” raising fresh questions about both threat levels and rules of engagement.
Deputy Director Matthew Quinn told reporters after the earlier shooting that agents had confronted a “suspicious individual who seemed to possess a firearm,” and that when the suspect allegedly fired toward them, they returned fire “in response.” He said all such incidents are reviewed internally and by local authorities.
In Saturday’s case, NBC, and CNN both highlighted that officers waited until the suspect produced a weapon and “began firing at posted officers” before shooting, consistent with the agency’s emphasis on responding to active threats rather than pre‑emptive force.
Still, with two armed confrontations near the White House in a matter of weeks and bystanders wounded in both, advocates and security analysts are likely to scrutinize how the Secret Service identifies threats, manages crowded public areas and minimizes collateral harm.
Trump’s whereabouts and political reaction
Multiple outlets report that President Donald Trump was in the Oval Office when the shooting began. A live feed from one network quoted an anchor saying Secret Service had confirmed “the president was at the White House during the time of this incident but was not [injured],” adding that Trump was inside with his team “conducting calls” as shots rang out outside the compound.
As of early Sunday, the White House had not issued a detailed statement from the president, and there were no reports of changes to his public schedule.
On social media, some lawmakers praised the Secret Service response, saying the incident showed agents’ readiness under pressure. Others raised concerns about the apparent uptick in armed confrontations near the executive complex and called for a review of security perimeters and mental‑health interventions.
Given the politically charged atmosphere around presidential security in recent years, the shooting is likely to feed into broader debates over access to firearms in Washington, the balance between public access to iconic spaces and safety, and the strain on an agency tasked with protecting both the president and a global tourist magnet.
What happens next
For now, the FBI and Metropolitan Police are collecting shell casings, surveillance footage and witness statements from a stretch of pavement that on any weekend is crowded with tourists taking photographs of the White House fence.
The Secret Service says its internal affairs arm will also review the shooting, as it does in all cases where agents use deadly force. The identity and motive of the gunman, the exact trajectory of the bullets that wounded the bystander and the question of whether the suspect had made prior threats against federal officials will all be central lines of inquiry.
For Washington residents and visitors, the episode is a reminder that the calm, manicured ellipse around the White House is also a frontline of modern security — one where decisions by armed officers must be made in seconds, and where, as Saturday’s shooting showed, the line between routine patrol and lethal force can be crossed in an instant.