Law enforcement officials confirmed Sunday morning that the man killed after opening fire at a White House security checkpoint on Saturday evening was Nasire Best, a 21-year-old from the D.C. area in Maryland. Best had prior encounters with the Secret Service and had previously been issued a stay-away order. The incident is the third involving gunfire in the vicinity of President Trump in under a month.
Who was Nasire Best
The suspect was identified by multiple law enforcement officials as Nasire Best, 21 years old, from an unspecified town in the D.C.-area of Maryland. Best had been living in Washington, D.C., for approximately 18 months prior to the shooting. According to a law enforcement source who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, Best was identified by investigators as an emotionally disturbed person. Critically, he had previously been issued a “stay-away order” — a formal legal directive prohibiting him from approaching the White House or its security perimeter — and had prior encounters with the Secret Service before Saturday’s attack.
It was not immediately clear what the circumstances of those prior encounters were, or whether Best had a documented history of mental health treatment. No political manifesto or written statement was found at the scene, and law enforcement said Sunday that a motive had not yet been formally established. The investigation is being led by the Metropolitan Police Department, as is standard practice when Secret Service officers are involved in an on-duty shooting.
Updated facts — as of Sunday morning, May 24
Suspect identity Nasire Best, 21, from D.C.-area town in Maryland
Prior Secret Service contact Yes — previously known to the agency
Stay-away order Yes — previously issued; prohibited from approaching White House perimeter
Law enforcement classification “Emotionally disturbed person” (Reuters, citing law enforcement source)
Time in D.C.Approximately 18 months prior to the attack
Suspect’s fate Shot by Secret Service — died at George Washington University Hospital
Bystander One civilian wounded in crossfire — condition not updated as of Sunday morning
Secret Service officers None struck by gunfire — none hospitalized
Motive Not yet formally established — investigation ongoing
How it happened — what the Secret Service confirmed
Best approached the Secret Service security checkpoint at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW — adjacent to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, one block from the White House — shortly after 6 p.m. EDT on Saturday. He reached into a bag, removed a firearm, and began firing at Secret Service officers stationed inside the security booth. Officers returned fire, striking Best and wounding him critically. He was transported to George Washington University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A bystander in the area was also struck by gunfire during the exchange and transported to hospital. No Secret Service officers were struck by gunfire.
Trump’s public statement
“A very sick and deranged man started shooting at the White House last night. He was quickly shot and killed by Secret Service. He was a very bad person. Secret Service did a great job! Melania and I are fine, and we want to thank our wonderful Secret Service for doing their job so well.”
— President Donald Trump, Truth Social, May 24, 2026
The third incident in less than a month — a pattern of escalating threats
Saturday’s shooting was, as NPR noted in its overnight reporting, the third incidence of gunfire in the vicinity of President Trump in the past month — a pattern that has placed mounting pressure on Secret Service protocols and the broader security architecture around the White House complex.
Three incidents in 30 days
April 25 Cole Tomas Allen fires near White House Correspondents’ Dinner security screening at Washington Hilton. One officer struck in vest. Allen charged with attempted assassination of Trump — pleaded not guilty.
~May 14–15 Iran parliamentary committee announces €50M bounty for Trump’s assassination — third in a series of Iran-linked threats against the president in 2025–2026.
May 23 Nasire Best, 21, opens fire at White House security checkpoint at 17th St and Pennsylvania Ave NW. Shot and killed by Secret Service. Bystander wounded.
The stay-away order failure — questions for investigators
The detail that Best had previously been issued a stay-away order — and that he was already known to the Secret Service — is the most significant new fact to emerge from Sunday’s reporting, and it will be central to any review of how Saturday’s attack was allowed to occur. Stay-away orders are civil or criminal court directives that prohibit an individual from approaching a specified location or person. Their enforcement depends on active monitoring of compliance, which in practice often relies on law enforcement being alerted when an individual with such an order appears at or near the protected location.
Whether Best’s presence in the area prior to pulling out his weapon triggered any alert, and if so whether that alert was acted upon in time, will be among the first questions investigators address. The Metropolitan Police Department, which is leading the shooting investigation, had not commented specifically on the stay-away order’s enforcement as of Sunday morning.
What comes next
The Metropolitan Police Department’s investigation will proceed alongside a separate Secret Service review of its protective protocols. Congress is likely to request a briefing on the incident given its proximity to the White House and the pattern of recent threats. The bystander wounded in Saturday’s crossfire has not been publicly identified, and their condition had not been updated in official statements by Sunday morning. The broader question of how a person previously known to the Secret Service and under a stay-away order was able to approach an active security checkpoint and open fire will remain the central focus of the investigation in the days ahead.
