The man killed in a shootout with Secret Service officers steps from the White House on Saturday had been arrested previously at a security checkpoint. Multiple outlets, including the Washington Post and the AP, have identified the gunman as 21-year-old Nasire Best. Court records show that Best was taken into custody last year when he approached a different checkpoint at the White House complex, claimed to be Jesus Christ, and asked to be arrested.
On Saturday, authorities say the gunman approached Secret Service officers near 17th Street NW and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, pulled a weapon from a bag, and opened fire. Officers shot back, hitting the assailant, who was taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead. A bystander was also wounded, though it's not yet clear whose bullets caused the injury. Authorities have not provided details on the extent of the bystander's injuries, per ABC News. No officers were wounded.
President Trump, who was in the White House at the time, thanked officers in a social media post and said the gunman had a "violent history" and "possible obsession" with the White House, per the New York Times. He added that it showed the need for "the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington," a nod to his plan for a new ballroom with expanded security. This was the third incident in a month of gunfire in the vicinity of the president, notes the AP. The Secret Service has not spoken publicly about a motive, but one law enforcement tells the Post they considered Best to be an emotionally disturbed person.
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