A man was killed Saturday evening after opening fire near a White House security checkpoint prompting a brief lockdown of the complex.
The U.S. Secret Service reported that the incident occurred shortly after 6 p.m. at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.
According to officials, the suspect, identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best, “pulled a weapon from his bag” and began firing.
Secrete Service officers immediately returned fire, striking the suspect who was later pronounced dead at hospital.
A bystander was also wounded during the exchange, though it remains unclear if they were hit by the suspect or by responding officers.
President Donald Trump, who was inside the White House at the time, was “not impacted,” according to a spokesperson.
The President later praised law enforcement on social media for their “swift and professional action.”
He further stated that the suspect had “a violent history and possible obsession with our Country’s most cherished structure.”
Court records reveal that Best was previously known to the Secret Service, having been arrested last year for attempting to gain entry to the complex.
The FBI is currently assisting in the investigation of the shooting which marks the third such incident near the President in the past month.
