Man killed in shooting outside White House had previously tried to get inside, had mental health concerns

By Curt Devine, CNN

(CNN) — Nasire Best, the 21-year-old man shot and killed by agents outside the White House on Saturday, had previous encounters with the Secret Service, court records show — including one occasion where he was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital and another where local police arrested him while he claimed “he was Jesus Christ.”

Social media belonging to Best, meanwhile, includes one post that appeared to threaten violence against President Trump and another post where he wrote, “I’m actually the son of God.”

The Secret Service said agents shot a man – identified as Best by law enforcement sources who spoke to CNN – when he approached a checkpoint outside the White House and began shooting at officers. Another bystander was hit in the exchange of fire.

Trump, who was in the White House at the time, was unharmed.

Officers had encountered Best multiple times near the White House last summer, according to a court affidavit, which says he was “known to the Secret Service” for “walking around the White House complex inquiring how to gain access at various entry points.”

He was involuntarily committed on June 26, 2025, for “obstructing vehicle entry” to part of the White House complex, the court documents said.

On July 10, 2025, Best ignored warning signs and walked into a restricted area outside the White House, the affidavit said, where multiple officers confronted him. Best claimed to be Jesus and said “that he wanted to get arrested,” the report said.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.