The gunman who fired on Secret Service agents Saturday had a history with White House security and had been warned to stay away last July.
President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that the gunman had “a violent history and possible obsession” with the White House.
Nasire Best, 21, of Dundalk, Maryland, had been arrested last year after trying to gain access to the White House, according to CBS News.
In July 2025, a D.C. Superior Court filing cited by Fox News said Best entered a restricted area at a White House control post, would not stop, and “claimed he was Jesus Christ and that he wanted to get arrested.”
He was arrested on an unlawful entry charge in that incident.
The filing said Best had earlier walked around the White House complex and asked how to gain access.
How do they always end up near President Trump if they are known to Secret Service?
21-year-old Nasire Best from Maryland had a well-documented history with law enforcement. He was arrested in July 2025 after trying to breach the White House complex. He had already been… pic.twitter.com/p4yyqdwJgk
— The Last Best Hope of Earth (@TheLastHopeUSA) May 24, 2026
Best had been involuntarily committed for a mental health exam in June 2025 after obstructing vehicle entry.
An August bench warrant accused Best of “noncompliance” because he did not show up for a hearing on the July charges, according to the New York Post.
At that time, a no-bond bench warrant that applied only to the District of Columbia was issued to allow police to arrest him, CBS News reported.
Best returned to the White House shortly after 6 p.m. Saturday, pulled a revolver from a bag and fired at a Secret Service checkpoint.
Multiple uniformed division officers, including at least one in a vehicle, returned fire. Best was pronounced dead at a D.C. hospital.
A bystander was wounded in the shooting, but it was uncertain who had shot him.
I was in the middle of taping on my iPhone for a social video from the White House North Lawn when we heard the shots. It sounded like dozens of gunshots. We were told to sprint to the press briefing room where we are holding now. pic.twitter.com/iqdQwh4soq
— Selina Wang (@selinawangtv) May 23, 2026
“Our officers continue to operate heroically in a heightened political threat environment,” Secret Service director Sean Curran remarked on Sunday in a statement, according to CBS News.
“We are grateful no officers were injured and appreciate the strong support from our federal and local partners. Our thoughts are also with the innocent bystander who was wounded during this incident. The Secret Service is hopeful he will make a full recovery,” he said.
The bystander who was shot was listed in serious but stable condition Sunday, according to the Associated Press.
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