A man armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives was shot and killed by U.S. Secret Service officers Saturday evening after he approached a security checkpoint outside the White House and opened fire, law enforcement officials said. A bystander was also wounded in the exchange of gunfire.

The shooting unfolded shortly after 6 p.m. at the intersection of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, just outside the White House complex near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. President Donald Trump was in the Oval Office at the time and was not harmed, the Secret Service said.

According to a Secret Service statement, the suspect walked up to the checkpoint, removed a weapon from a bag and began firing at officers posted there. Uniformed officers returned fire, striking the suspect, who was transported to an area hospital and later pronounced dead.

The suspect is reportedly 21-year-old Nasire Best.

A bystander struck during the incident was also taken to a hospital in critical condition, officials said. The Secret Service said it remains unclear whether the bystander was hit by the suspect’s initial gunfire or during the officers’ return fire. Law enforcement sources told Reuters that one Secret Service agent was struck in an area covered by protective gear and was not injured. None of the responding officers were hospitalized.

Witnesses and reporters on the White House North Lawn described hearing between 15 and 30 shots in rapid succession. Secret Service personnel cleared the lawn and ordered journalists to sprint into the press briefing room, where they were told to shelter in place. Agents inside the complex were heard shouting “get down” and warning of shots fired. ABC News correspondent Selina Wang was filming a segment outside when the gunfire began and ducked for cover with her crew.

A senior law enforcement official told Reuters the shooter had been the subject of a prior stay-away order and was described as an emotionally disturbed person. Investigators recovered a pistol believed to belong to the suspect, along with a shotgun and several knives, according to an FBI official cited by Reuters.

FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed on X that the bureau was on scene assisting the Secret Service. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said its agents were also responding and aiding the Metropolitan Police Department and Secret Service in the investigation. Pennsylvania Avenue between 17th and 19th streets was closed to traffic.

The White House lockdown was lifted shortly before 7 p.m., and reporters were permitted to return to the North Lawn. Yellow crime scene tape stretched across the sidewalk outside the complex, where officers placed dozens of orange evidence markers on the pavement. Medical supplies, including surgical gloves and emergency kits, were visible at the scene.

President Trump was briefed on the shooting, a White House official said. He had been working in the Oval Office with senior aides Steven Cheung, Natalie Harp and Margo Martin at the time of the gunfire. Hours earlier, Trump had announced from the Oval Office that a peace agreement had been “largely negotiated” between the United States, Iran and several Middle Eastern countries.

The incident comes roughly a month after Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were evacuated by Secret Service from the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner after shots were fired outside the ballroom. The Pennsylvania Avenue pedestrian plaza where Saturday’s shooting occurred had only recently reopened to the public following a monthslong closure.

The investigation remains ongoing.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)