A gunman opened fire near the White House on Saturday evening before US Secret Service agents killed him in a shoot-out, during which a bystander was struck, authorities said.
US President Donald Trump was in the White House at the time but was not impacted by the incident, Secret Service communications chief Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.
The confrontation took place just after 6pm when a man near the White House security perimeter “pulled a weapon from his bag and began firing.”
Photo: AFP
“Secret Service Police returned fire striking the suspect who was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced deceased. During the shooting one bystander was also struck by gunfire,” Guglielmi said, without giving details on the bystander’s condition.
No Secret Service officers were hurt.
“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,” Trump said on Truth Social early Sunday.
US media outlets reported the man was Nasire Best of Maryland, reporting that Best had a history of mental health concerns and had multiple prior interactions with Secret Service members.
Police and security forces swarmed the scene, cordoning off access as National Guard troops blocked reporters from entering the area in downtown Washington.
“We heard probably 20 to 25 what sounded like fireworks, but they’re gunshots, and then everyone started running,” Canadian tourist Reid Adrian said.
Journalists who were on the White House North Lawn at the time said they were told to run and shelter in the press briefing room.
ABC News correspondent Selina Wang had been recording a video for social media when the gunfire broke out, capturing the sounds of the shots as she dove to the ground.
“It sounded like dozens of gunshots,” she said on social media.
MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS
Trump has been the target of three alleged assassination attempts, the most recent of which took place on April 25 when an armed man stormed a security checkpoint in a hotel where Trump was attending a media gala.
The man never got close to Trump or the other guests attending the event.
In July 2024, Trump was shot at during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A gunman killed an audience member and appeared to lightly wound Trump on the ear.
Several months later, another armed man was arrested on a West Palm Beach golf course where Trump was playing golf.
Trump has cited security concerns as one of his reasons for building a ballroom at the White House, tearing down the East Wing after taking office again last year.
The US$400 million project currently under construction would feature, according to the New York real estate magnate, six floors below the highly secure “drone-proof” ballroom, including an underground military hospital.
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