The Dundalk, Maryland, man who was shot and killed near a U.S. Secret Service checkpoint Saturday had previously been arrested for trespassing on White House grounds.
Nasire Best, 21, pulled a gun from a bag, and fired several shots toward the security checkpoint near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, according to the Secret Service and D.C. police.
A male bystander was hit, and was reported Sunday to be in serious condition. In a statement posted on social media, Secret Service Director Sean Curran said “The Secret Service is hopeful he will make a full recovery.”
According to D.C. Superior Court records, Best had been arrested in July 2025 for unlawful entry, after using an exit turnstile to get into a restricted portion of the White House grounds.
The arresting officers said Best “claimed he was Jesus Christ, and wanted to get arrested.”
At the time of the arrest, agents said a check of the FBI-maintained National Crime Information Center database “came back clear, no wants, no warrants.”
The affidavit said Best was known to the Secret Service “for walking around the White House complex inquiring how to gain access at various entry points.”
According to the arresting officers, a few weeks before the July 10 arrest, Best had been involuntarily committed on June 26 for obstructing vehicle entry to the White House complex at the 15th Street and E Street NW checkpoint.
The day after his arrest, Best pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor count. He was ordered to stay away from the White House complex, bounded by 18th Street NW, I Street NW, 14th Street NW and Constitution Avenue NW.
However, court records show less than two weeks later, on Aug. 1, a notice of noncompliance with the stay-away order was filed.
When Best failed to appear for an Aug. 7 hearing and his attorney had no explanation, the judge issued a bench warrant with no bond. The warrant was still in effect early Saturday evening when Best opened fire and agents returned fire. He later died at a nearby hospital.
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