A 21-year-old man shot and killed by Secret Service officers after opening fire near the White House has been identified as Nasire Best. The incident occurred at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, marking the third time in the past month that gunfire has erupted near the president.
Best had a documented history of targeting the presidential complex. Last July, he was apprehended for allegedly using an exit turnstile to unlawfully enter restricted grounds. An affidavit from that incident noted he claimed to be Jesus Christ and stated he was attempting to get arrested. Weeks earlier, he was involuntarily committed after obstructing a vehicle entrance.
Court records verify the suspect’s identity as Nasire Best, his prior arrests for trespassing at the White House complex, and his court-appointed attorney’s statements. A judge previously issued a bench warrant for Best when he failed to appear for a scheduled court date regarding his misdemeanor unlawful entry charge. His attorney, Darryl Daniels II, offered condolences to the family, stating he had only spoken to the 21-year-old briefly by phone because Best missed his initial status hearing.
Best’s mother, Melvin, told reporters she learned of the shooting on Facebook. She maintained her son “was never violent, regardless of what people are posting.”
Best ran track at Dundalk High School in Maryland in 2023. Former classmates reported his life began to unravel during his senior year following severe bullying and an altercation that led to a suspension, resulting in his isolation from friends prior to the incidents in Washington.