WASHINGTON (7News) — The man who opened fire near the White House Saturday evening before being killed in a shootout with the Secret Service has been identified as Nasire Best, 21, according to a law enforcement official speaking with the Associated Press.
Investigators said Best approached agents in the area of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, Northwest, just after 6 p.m. He pulled a gun from his bag and began firing. Officers returned fire, hitting Best. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
A bystander was also hit in the exchange of gunfire and said to be in critical condition. It was not immediately clear who fired the shots that struck the bystander.
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Saturday’s shooting was not Best’s first encounter with Secret Service near the White House.
Court records show that the 21-year-old was arrested in July 2025 after attempting to enter a different white house checkpoint. During that encounter, investigators said Best claimed he was Jesus Christ and said he wanted to be arrested.
An initial hearing was held and a “Pretrial Stay Away Order” was issued, typically a measure ordering a defendant not to go near a person or area before a trial. A bench warrant was issued in August after a notice of “noncompliance” against Best, who did appear for a subsequent hearing.
That was not the only occassion Best was encountered near the White House, according to a report from CNN. Records show Best was “known to the Secret Service” for “walking around the White House complex inquiring how to gain access at various entry points,” the report reads. He was involuntarily committed on June 26, 2025, for “obstructing vehicle entry” to part of the White House complex, records show.
CNN found social media belonging to Best, that appeared to threaten violence against President DonaldTrump and another post where he wrote, “I’m actually the son of God.”
Trump was inside the White House at the time of the shooting, but was not hurt.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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