The mother of the man shot dead by Secret Service officers near the White House has said she was left shocked after learning about the incident online, insisting her son “was never violent”.A woman identified as the mother of 21-year-old Nasire Best told The Washington Post she discovered news of the fatal shooting through social media posts before authorities contacted her.“He was never violent, regardless of what people are posting,” she said.Best was killed on Saturday evening after allegedly opening fire near a White House security checkpoint in Washington DC. A bystander was also injured during the exchange of gunfire and remains in serious but stable condition, according to US Secret Service officials.The shooting happened shortly after 6pm near the intersection of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, close to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building beside the White House complex.Police said Best fired towards Secret Service officers stationed near the checkpoint. Officers returned fire, fatally wounding him. He was later pronounced dead at hospital.US President Donald Trump was inside the White House at the time but was unharmed. No Secret Service officers were injured. Best had previous encounters with law enforcement near the White House and had a documented history of mental health problems.He was arrested in July 2025 after allegedly attempting to enter White House grounds near another security checkpoint. During that incident, he reportedly ignored police orders, claimed to be ‘Jesus Christ’ and asked officers to arrest him.He later spent time in a psychiatric facility.The shooting caused panic around the White House complex, with reporters and television crews seen running for cover as gunfire in viral videos.CBS journalist Aaron Navarro described the confusion moments after shots were fired.“As soon as we heard it, we ducked down and I started to see other reporters starting to run, and you shortly heard Secret Service officers saying ‘get inside, get inside’,” he told the BBC.ABC correspondent Selina Wang also shared footage showing journalists taking cover on the White House grounds.Saturday’s incident marked the third armed security scare near the president in the past month. Earlier incidents included an armed man disrupting the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and another suspect being shot by Secret Service agents near the Washington Monument.Following the shooting, Trump praised officers involved in the response.“Thank you to our great Secret Service and Law Enforcement for the swift and professional action taken this evening against a gunman near the White House,” he wrote on social media.
