From his senior year at Dundalk High School in Baltimore County, Maryland, where he ran track for the Dundalk Owls, Nasire Best’s life seemed to take one wrong turn after another, according to court records and a high school friend.
Best, who according to police was shot and killed Saturday by Secret Service officers after opening fire near the White House, had by that time cut off contact with even his closest friends and began claiming that he was Jesus Christ.
Best, 21, was described by the friend as apolitical, with a love of jokes and the video game “Fortnite,” and an obsession with running.
While much about his short life remains unclear, Best had a rough senior year at Dundalk in 2023, said the friend, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect his privacy. He was bullied constantly and after a fight with another student, the friend said, Best was suspended, missing senior prom and part of the track season.
“Nothing really went his way,” the friend said.
In May 2025, for reasons that are unclear, Best began unfollowing friends on social media, angered that they did not accept his claim he was Jesus.
Rhonda Melvin, who told The Post that Best was her son, said she was still in disbelief at the events that played out near the White House on Saturday, leading to his death. She said she found out about the incident and the death of her son “late last night” on social media.
“I’m still in disbelief right now,” Melvin said when reached by phone. She said that Best “was never violent, regardless of what people are posting.”
“With all the things that are being said about my son on social media, I found out that way, okay. I found out on Facebook,” she said. “And the mean things that people are saying about my son. That’s why I said, I need a little time.”
A law enforcement official identified Best as the man who fired shots at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
“A preliminary investigation indicates that as the individual approached, he removed a weapon from his bag and began firing at posted officers,” Secret Service communications chief Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement. “Secret Service police officers returned fire, striking the suspect, who was transported to an area hospital, where he later died.”
A bystander was also struck in the exchange, the Secret Service said, but it is unclear whether it was by the suspect or shots returned from officers.
The incident is the latest in a series of recent violent episodes near President Donald Trump and his top aides. It comes about a month after gunfire erupted outside the White House correspondents’ dinner at the Washington Hilton, where Trump, members of his Cabinet, journalists and lawmakers had gathered for the annual event.
Best was previously arrested and charged with trespassing. On July 10, he was apprehended for allegedly using an exit turnstile to access a restricted portion of the White House grounds. At the time, according to an affidavit, he claimed he was Jesus and was trying to get arrested. The affidavit also said the Secret Service was previously acquainted with Best for “walking around the White House complex inquiring how to gain access at various entry points.” He was also involuntarily committed on June 26 for obstructing vehicle entry to the White House complex.
After the July incident, prosecutors charged Best with unlawful entry into private property. He pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge the day after his arrest at a hearing in D.C. Superior Court, where a judge appointed lawyer Darryl Daniels II to represent him and ordered Best to stay away from the White House grounds, court records show.
Best was due back in court Aug. 7, but the records show that Best “did not appear for this hearing, and counsel of record did not have representations.” A judge issued a bench warrant for Best’s arrest, as is standard when defendants charged with crimes miss their court dates.
Daniels said he spoke with Best only once, briefly over the phone, because he did not appear to his first status hearing, so the attorney “hadn’t had a chance to meet him after his arraignment.”
“The only thing I can say is it’s a tragic situation. Wishing condolences for he and his family. Thankful that no one else was hurt,” Daniels said.
Not all bench warrants are immediately executed. D.C. police officers usually arrest people subject to bench warrants during traffic stops or other incidental encounters, if the warrant shows up during a background search. The U.S. Marshals Service enforces bench warrants in some cases, but that agency typically focuses on high-profile fugitives and defendants charged with federal criminal offenses.
Best’s motive for opening fire near the White House remains unclear. According to voting records, when he registered to vote in 2022, he marked his party affiliation as Republican, and he has no known history of political statements.
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