Updated: 11:00 PM EST
A person who opened fire Saturday on a White House security checkpoint is dead after being shot by officers who returned fire, the U.S. Secret Service said. It was the third incidence of gunfire in the vicinity of President Donald Trump in the past month.
The law enforcement agency said in a preliminary statement posted on X that the person in the area of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue “pulled a weapon from his bag” shortly after 6 p.m. ET and began firing. The officers returned fire, hitting the suspect, who was taken to a hospital where he later died, the Secret Service said.
The suspect was identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best, said a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the investigation.
The shooting triggered a rapid security response around the White House complex. Journalists working there reported hearing multiple gunshots and were directed to take shelter inside the press briefing room.
It was the third time in the past month that gunfire has broken out near the president following incidents at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in April and near the Washington Monument earlier in May.
A bystander was also struck on Saturday, but a law enforcement official said it wasn’t clear whether that person was struck by the suspect’s initial bullets or those fired subsequently by officers.
ABC News senior White House correspondent Selina Wang shared video from the media area after she said she heard what “sounded like dozens of gunshots.” The video showed Wang filming a cellphone update about Trump’s earlier comments on a possible Iran deal before the sound of gunfire sent her ducking for cover.
The clip spread widely on X by Saturday evening, with thousands of shares and at least 3 million views. The media tents where broadcasters record reports sit along the White House driveway, near the area affected by the security response.
