Investigation Ongoing in White House Shooting Incident

The Metropolitan Police Department is currently investigating a shooting incident that occurred near the White House grounds involving Secret Service agents and a gunman. The focus is on discovering who shot the bystander, now stable after surgery, and the number of bullets fired.

On Saturday evening, shortly after 6 p.m., the gunman, Nasire Best, aged 21 from Dundalk, Maryland, approached the northwestern corner of the White House complex. According to a statement from the Metropolitan Police Department, he drew a gun from his bag and fired towards a Secret Service checkpoint. In response, Secret Service agents returned fire, resulting in Mr. Best’s death.

An unidentified adult male bystander was injured during the exchange of gunfire. Emergency medical teams transported him to a hospital where he underwent surgery and is now in stable condition. Both the Secret Service and the police confirmed these details.

The investigation aims to establish whether the Secret Service’s use of force was justified and will count the number of shots fired. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia will review the case independently once the investigation concludes. No Secret Service agents were hurt in the incident.

Television reporters present on the White House’s north lawn during the attack recorded audio that captured sounds resembling dozens of shots fired by Mr. Best and the Secret Service.

Law enforcement had been aware of Mr. Best for nearly a year before the incident. He previously gained attention from the Secret Service for asking how to access White House entry points. Court records show that in June, he was arrested for blocking a vehicle at the east side of the White House and charged with unlawful entry. During this arrest, he claimed to be Jesus Christ and expressed a desire to be arrested.

In July, Mr. Best entered a restricted area of the White House grounds. Despite signs and commands to stop, he proceeded, leading to another arrest. A judge scheduled an August hearing and issued a “stay away order” prohibiting him from approaching the White House area. Mr. Best’s absence at the scheduled hearing resulted in a bench warrant for his arrest in the District of Columbia. However, it remains unclear if he entered the district before Saturday’s shooting.

Mr. Best lived near Baltimore, Maryland, but the bench warrant restricted his arrest to within the District of Columbia.