The U.S. Secret Service fatally shot a person who opened fire on officers at a security checkpoint on Saturday in an exchange of gunfire that briefly locked down the White House, officials said.
The shooting happened shortly after 6 p.m. when a male approached the Secret Service checkpoint at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, pulled a gun from a bag and opened fire on officers, the Secret Service said in a statement.
The officers returned fire and shot the suspect, who was taken to a hospital, where he later died, the Secret Service said. The agency said the shooting remains under investigation.
A bystander was also shot, the Secret Service said, but it was unclear who fired the round that injured that person. Their condition was not immediately available.
Six senior law enforcement officials briefed on the matter identified the suspect as Nesire Best.
Best has a documented history with local law enforcement, and five senior law enforcement officials said he has a history of mental health concerns.
NBC News Capitol Hill Correspondent Julie Tsirkin was preparing to report from the White House when multiple shots could be heard being fired nearby. Watch as she recorded the press being moved inside the White House by Secret Service.
Best, 21, was placed under arrest on a charge of unlawful entry on July 10 after he walked into a restricted area near the White House, according to a court document filed in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia. During that incident, he claimed he was Jesus Christ and that he wanted to get arrested, the filing said.
He was known to the U.S. Secret Service for walking around the White House asking about how to gain access at various entry posts, the filing said.
In June, he was involuntary committed for obstructing vehicle entry to the White House complex, the document said.
The Secret Service said no agents were injured, and President Donald Trump, who was at the White House at the time, was not injured.
The Secret Service briefed Trump about the incident.
An NBC News team at the White House heard between 20 and 30 gunshots around 6:04 p.m., and Secret Service agents urged reporters who were gathered outside on the North Lawn to run inside the press briefing room.
The Secret Service was posted just outside the room with guns drawn as the White House went into lockdown.
The lockdown, which included the White House grounds, was lifted at 6:46 p.m.
FBI Director Kash Patel said on X that the FBI is on the scene and supporting the Secret Service. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is also assisting the Secret Service and the Metropolitan Police Department.
Vice President JD Vance was at the White House earlier today, but it is unclear if he was there at the time of the shooting.
The shooting occurred on the west end of Pennsylvania Avenue, a pedestrian plaza that runs along the north side of the White House. Days earlier, part of plaza had reopened to the public following a monthslong closure.
The U.S. Capitol Police did not immediately respond to a request for information on the situation.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images A police officer uses binoculars on the roof of a building at the White House in Washington, DC, after shots were reportedly fired on May 23, 2026.
