The man fatally shot by Secret Service agents after authorities said he opened fire at a White House security checkpoint Saturday had a documented history of encounters with law enforcement and mental health concerns.
"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, who had a violent history and possible obsession with our Country’s most cherished structure," President Donald Trump wrote early APP USERS, CLICK HERE:
The filing said Best interacted with the Secret Service, walking around the White House complex and asking how to gain access at various entry posts. It also said he had been involuntarily committed in June 2025 after obstructing vehicle entry to the White House complex.
Officers requested a stay-away order barring Best from the White House area after the July arrest, according to the filing.
The White House security, which is being removed from the Senate's now-stalled budget reconciliation package.
"This event is one month removed from the White House Correspondent’s Dinner shooting, and goes to show how important it is, for all future Presidents, to get, what will be, the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington, D.C.," Trump's post concluded. "The National Security of our Country demands it!"
The shooting briefly placed the White House on lockdown. Reporters on the North Lawn were rushed into the press briefing room as agents responded with weapons drawn. The lockdown was lifted at 6:46 p.m. ET.
Authorities had not announced a motive as of early Sunday. The FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were assisting the Secret Service and Metropolitan Police Department in the investigation.