Secret Service agents have killed a gunman after he opened fire at a White House security checkpoint as reporters scrambled to safety.
The shooter ‘began firing’ at a junction near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at around 6pm local time (11pm GMT) on Saturday.
Officers posted there shot back and hit the gunman, who was then taken to hospital. He was later pronounced dead.
A bystander was also injured in the shooting, but their condition is not known. No Secret Service agents were injured in the attack.
The suspect has been named as Nasire Best, 21, who was known to both the Secret Service and the Metropolitan Police Department and whom Donald Trump described as having a ‘violent history and possible obsession with our Country’s most cherished structure’.
‘A preliminary investigation indicates that as the individual approached, he removed a weapon from his bag and began firing at posted officers,’ the Secret Service said in a statement.
A source told CBS Best had previously attempted to enter the White House in July 2025, but was arrested. He then spent time at a psychiatric facility.
The president was at the White House during the attack, but ‘no protectees or operations were impacted’.
Reporters at the White House were forced to run for cover after they heard shots being fired, and were ushered into a briefing room.
Some had been filming and the sound of gunfire could be heard on camera.
ABC’s senior White House correspondent Selina Wang could be seen taking cover as a shots rang out across the North Lawn.
Taking to X last night, she said: ‘We were told to sprint to the press briefing room where we are holding now.’
Journalists were held in the briefing room for around 30 minutes and could see Secret Service officers and later ambulances arriving at the scene.
The president thanked officers for their ‘swift and professional action’ following the incident, which comes just one month after a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents Dinner.
He said in a post to Truth Social: ‘The gunman is dead after an exchange of gunfire with Secret Service Agents near the White House gates.
‘This event is one month removed from the White House Correspondent’Dinner [sic] shooting, and goes to show how important it is, for all future Presidents, to get, what will be, the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington, D.C.
‘The National Security of our Country demands it!’
Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson both praised officers for their ‘decisive action’ to bring down the shooter.
Taking to social media, Thune said he was ‘grateful’ for their efforts, while Johnson said: ‘Our prayers are with the victims of tonight’s senseless shooting for a speedy recovery.’
An investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
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