Suspect killed after opening fire on Secret Service near White House

Officials say a suspect approached a checkpoint near the building and opened fire, and that a bystander was wounded. Suspect killed after opening fire on Secret Service near White House Moment ABC reporter hears gunshots and ducks for cover near White House Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. A police officer with a gun stands in front of two white marked police cars Police and Secret Service agents patrol the scene following a shooting in Washington DC A gunman who shot at a White House security checkpoint was killed in an exchange of fire with Secret Service agents on Saturday evening, officials have confirmed. The BBC's US media partner CBS named the suspect as Nasire Best, a 21-year-old man who was known to the agency and had a documented history of mental health conditions. Gunfire rang out just after 18:00 local time (23:00 GMT) - reporters filming outside ducked and ran for cover inside the White House. US President Donald Trump was at the White House but was unharmed. He thanked officers for their "swift and professional action". The shooting comes a month after a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. The incident began when a man pulled a gun from his bag and "began firing" outside the White House at the intersection of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington DC, near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Secret Service officers posted on the corner returned fire, striking the gunman. He was then taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A bystander was also wounded in the shooting, but the Secret Service did not give further details on their condition. No officers were injured in the attack. Trump was at the White House at the time, but officials said no "protectees" or operations were impacted. A reporter dressed in an orange turtleneck jumper and beige blazer looks shocked and gasps as she starts to run. The suspect was later identified in US media as Nasire Best, who had been known to both the Secret Service and the Metropolitan Police Department, law enforcement sources told CBS. He used a revolver during the shooting, the sources said. A source familiar with the investigation told CBS that Best had attempted to gain entry to the White House in July 2025 and had been arrested by officers nearby, after which he spent time at a psychiatric facility. He had been living in Washington DC for 18 months. Bullet holes and broken glass are seen at the White House History Shop after yesterday's shooting near the White House, A bullet hole can be seen in the fractured glass window of the White History shop after yesterday's shooting near the White House. Through an intact window pane, one can see a sign declaring, "America's 250th Anniversary Celebration." "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," Trump wrote on social media. Noting that the shooting had occurred since the White House Correspondents' Dinner was disrupted by a different shooter, he said it showed how important it was "for all future Presidents, to get, what will be, the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington" - a reference to his planned White House ballroom. Noting that the shooting had occurred since the White House Correspondents' Dinner was disrupted by a different shooter, he said it showed how important it was "for all future Presidents, to get, what will be, the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington" - a reference to On Sunday morning, US House Speaker Mike Johnson said: "We live in a heightened threat environment, it's a very serious issue." Johnson said he spoke to Trump after the shooting but the president did not mention it, adding he "accepts it" as a "risk of the job". Writing on X, Senate Majority Leader John Thune praised the Secret Service's "decisive actions" to protect the president and others. A forensic investigator takes photos behind a police tape blocking off a crime scene with evidence markers seen on a sidewalk on 17th and Pennsylvania Ave near the White House in Washington After shots were heard, reporters at the White House were rushed into a briefing room. Some had been filming when the incident occurred and shots could be heard in the distance as they spoke to camera. Footage shared by ABC's senior White House correspondent Selina Wang showed her taking cover as a volley of shots could be heard from across the North Lawn. "We were told to sprint to the press briefing room where we are holding now," Wang wrote on X. Reporters at the White House were rushed into a briefing room when shots rang out Members of the media clear the North Lawn following reports of gunfire near the White House. A blonde woman is pictured running while wearing a bright pink blazer. Aaron Navarro, a CBS News reporter, told the BBC he had been on the North Lawn when he heard gunshots, "at points sounding like they were coming from different guns, just outside the grounds". "As soon as we heard it, we ducked down and I started to see other reporters starting to run, and you shortly heard Secret Service officers saying 'get inside, get inside'," he said. Once inside, he said reporters were locked down in the press briefing room for around 30 minutes. Outside, they saw Secret Service officers and then, just beyond the grounds, they eventually saw ambulances. Navarro said it was unclear exactly where Trump was inside the White House when the shooting took place and "whether he even heard it, as it was a good distance [away]". He said the shooting took place in a busy area with a cafe and restaurants, but that it was not as busy as it could have been since the shooting occurred on a weekend evening. The deal under discussion would involve a 60-day ceasefire extension during which the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened, according to US media. The driver died aged 41 on Thursday after "overwhelming complications" from the illnesses. The inaugural Enhanced Games will feature dozens of elite athletes using performance-enhancing drugs.