Shooting at White House checkpoint leaves suspect dead, bystander critical

(CNN) — Secret Service officers shot and killed a person who the agency said approached a security checkpoint Saturday near the White House and fired at them.

Shortly before 6 p.m. ET, an individual approached a checkpoint just outside the White House complex and began firing at officers, a Secret Service spokesperson said, citing a preliminary investigation.

Secret Service officers returned fire and hit the suspect, who later died at an area hospital, the spokesperson said.

“During the shooting, a bystander was also struck by gunfire. It remains unclear whether the bystander was struck by the suspect’s initial gunfire or during the subsequent exchange of gunfire,” the spokesperson added.

Secret Service personnel were not injured, and President Donald Trump was in the residence and unaffected, the spokerson said. He’s been briefed on the incident by the Secret Service, a White House official said.

The bystander is in critical condition, according to a law enforcement official.

The suspect has been identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best, three sources told CNN. Best had previous encounters with the Secret Service, one law enforcement source said, including an incident in June in which he blocked an entry lane at the White House. After claiming he was “God,” he was detained by the Secret Service and committed to the Psychiatric Institute of Washington for mental eval...