LEILA FADEL, HOST:
We're learning more about a shooting near the White House. The gunmen who opened fire was killed, and a bystander was wounded over the weekend. NPR's Chandelis Duster reports. And we want to warn you - you will hear the sound of that gunfire.
CHANDELIS DUSTER, BYLINE: As White House journalists from various networks, including ABC's Selina Wang, were preparing for evening live shots on Saturday, gunshots rang out.
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SELINA WANG: President Trump has said a deal is close...
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WANG: ...Only for the two sides to remain far apart.
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DUSTER: Wang hurried to the ground. She and other journalists ran to the White House briefing room after being told by the United States Secret Service to shelter in place. President Trump was in the White House at the time of the incident. The Secret Service says shortly after 6 p.m., an individual around a block away from the White House, quote, "pulled a weapon from his bag and began firing." The Secret Service returned fire, striking the gunman, who was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Department in D.C. identified the suspected gunman as 21-year-old Nasire Best of Maryland. The spokesperson also said a bystander was struck by gunfire and sustained a non-life-threatening injury. They remain in the hospital. No Secret Service officers were injured during the incident.
D.C. court records show that last summer, Best was arrested after he attempted to enter White House grounds through a checkpoint and didn't heed officer commands to stop. At the time, Best, according to those records, claimed he was Jesus Christ and that he wanted to get arrested. He was known to the Secret Service for walking around the perimeter of the White House and asking how to get through checkpoints. The shooting near the White House occurred nearly a month after an alleged assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.
President Trump thanked law enforcement for, quote, "swift and professional action" in a social media post on Sunday. The president also said the shooting underscored the importance of a White House ballroom that will, quote, be a "safe and secure space."
Chandelis Duster, NPR News.
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