21-year-old Killed By Secret Service After He Open Fired Near White House

A Dundalk high school graduate who opened fire near the White House was shot and killed by Secret Service agents, according to authorities.

Nasire Best, 21, was fatally shot on the evening of May 23. According to Fox News, the man had previously come to the attention of the Secret Service. He was accused of allegedly making threats. Best reportedly had a history of mental health issues.

The Secret Service said the man pulled a gun from his bag and opened fire on officers before they returned fire. Best later died at a hospital. According to court records obtained by WBAL-TV 11, Best was once arrested for entering a restricted area at the White House. He reportedly told Secret Service officers that he was “Jesus Christ.”

Court filings allege that the Secret Service was familiar with Best, as he had regularly asked to be allowed onto White House grounds. A judge had previously ordered him to stay away from the White House.

Apart from previous encounters with the Secret Service, Best was previously sued by the owners of his apartment complex for failing to pay rent. After one incident, Best was involuntarily admitted to a psychiatric facility.

When Secret Service agents shot and killed him, a bystander was reportedly struck by a bullet. The individual was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

Best was a student at Dundalk High School. He was a sprinter on the track team and graduated less than three years ago. Rodney Phillips, a resident of the neighborhood Best lived in, reflected on the incident.

In an interview, he told WBAL-TV 11, “It's kind of heartbreaking to know it was a 21-year-old; he just got out of school. You'll be doing good in high school, get out of high school and everything, and it just goes downhill just by one little incident."

Phillips added, “Nine times out of 10, most problems that go on, there's always a mentally unstable person who could have gotten help before the problems got that far or anything like that. But it's just like they got neglected.”

“It's kind of sad. I know a lot of young kids are losing their lives. (There are) a lot of things they could have been doing with their lives, but it's like this generation's just losing themselves,” he continued.