May 24, 2026 | 10:41 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An incident of gunfire exchange occurred at a security checkpoint near the White House on Saturday evening, May 23, 2026 local time, triggering a lockdown at the White House complex.According to Al Jazeera, the incident began around 18:00 local time at the intersection of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC.According to a statement from the Secret Service, the suspected man approached the security checkpoint and pulled out a pistol from his bag. The perpetrator had previously been ordered to stay away from the area but still approached the White House before opening fire. He shot at the guarding officers.The Secret Service agents then returned fire and struck the perpetrator. The man identified as Nasire Best, 21 years old, was taken to the hospital before being pronounced dead.US President Donald Trump was at the White House when the shooting occurred and was unharmed. No Secret Service agents were injured in the incident.The NBC News team at the location reported hearing approximately 20 to 30 gunshots around 18:04 local time. The Secret Service agents then urged journalists in the North Lawn area to seek shelter in the press briefing room.Al Jazeera journalist, Kimberly Halkett, reported hearing more than 30 shots from the North Lawn area of the White House. Journalists at the scene were instructed to take cover in the press briefing room, while the police closed off access around the incident site.During the lockdown, Secret Service agents stood guard with weapons drawn around the press briefing room. The lockdown at the White House area was lifted around 18:46 local time.The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Kash Patel, stated that the FBI was assisting in the investigation along with the Secret Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington.Vice President of the United States JD Vance was reported to have been at the White House on the same day, but it is not yet known if he was still at the location when the shooting occurred.Read: White House Shooting: At Least Two InjuredClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
