Who was Nasire Best? Secret Service Identifies White House Shooting Suspect — Top 5 Updates on 21-Year-Old Shooter | Today’s news
US Secret Service agents have identified the suspect in the White House shooting as 21-year-old Nasir Best, who was shot and killed in the confrontation. He was taken to George Washington Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, the Secret Service said in a statement. On Saturday night, a gunman opened fire near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue outside the White House complex, prompting authorities to quickly respond.
President Donald Trump was present at the White House during the incident, but no “protected” or officers were injured. Nearly two hours before the shooting, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung posted that Donald Trump was in the executive director’s office. At the time of the shooting, Trump was the only Secret Service protégé in the White House, Bloomberg reported, citing a source.
A source familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that the gunman had been walking down the street for some time before opening fire at a police checkpoint. He pulled out a pistol from his bag and started shooting indiscriminately at around 6:00 PM on May 23. The Secret Service quickly responded and fired back at the gunman.
A bystander was also hit in the shooting, but it has not yet been determined if the person was hit by the suspect’s initial shooting or in the shootout that followed.
An image of the suspect has been widely circulated online, as shown below. (Mint could not independently verify this development)
The latest shooting outside the White House follows the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where a gunman joined in the action and allegedly tried to assassinate President Trump.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced in a post on X that his agency is also assisting the Secret Service. “The FBI is on the scene supporting the Secret Service in response to shots fired near the White House grounds – we will update the public as soon as possible,” the post said.
A White House correspondent describes the May 23 shooting
In a post on X recounting the ordeal, ABC Senior White House Correspondent Selina Wang said: “I was in the middle of shooting my iPhone for a social video from the White House North Lawn when we heard gunshots. It sounded like dozens of gunshots. We were told to sprint to the press conference room where we are now holding.”
After the shooting, the Secret Service swung into action and placed the White House on lockdown for half an hour. Reporters were asked to gather on the north lawn and run into the press conference room.
