The suspected White House gunman was reportedly no stranger to the Secret Service before he opened fire on Saturday.
Nasire Best, a 21-year-old Maryland man, had been barred from returning to the White House after a previous arrest for entering a restricted area, according to The New York Times.
Authorities said Best approached a Secret Service checkpoint near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW shortly after 6 p.m., pulled a gun from a bag, and began firing at officers.
The shooting caused chaos outside the White House and sent people in the grounds scrambling for cover.
Secret Service officers returned fire, striking Best, who later died in the hospital.
A bystander was also struck during the shooting, though officials said it remains unclear whether the person was hit by the suspect’s gunfire or during the exchange with officers.
Court records show Best was arrested last July after entering a restricted area near the White House and ignoring commands to stop, according to The Times.
An affidavit reportedly said he had already been on the Secret Service’s radar after repeatedly “walking around the White House complex inquiring how to gain access at various entry posts.”
Best had also previously been held involuntarily after blocking a vehicle entrance near the White House. He allegedly told officers he was “Jesus Christ” and “wanted to get arrested” during that encounter.
A bench warrant was later issued after he failed to appear at a hearing, according to The Times.
The shooting unfolded while President Donald Trump remained inside the White House amid escalating tensions involving Iran, though he was not injured during the incident.
The White House lockdown lasted roughly half an hour, though a heavy law enforcement presence remained around the area into the evening.
The incident comes a month after a man armed with a shotgun, handgun, and multiple knives allegedly pushed past a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, where Trump and the first lady were evacuated.
The president later appeared to connect Saturday’s shooting to his long-running push for a White House ballroom project in a Truth Social post.
“This event is one month removed from the White House Correspondent[s]’ Dinner 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.,” Trump wrote.
“The National Security of our Country demands it!”
The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment.
