A tense moment outside the White House was captured in real time after gunfire suddenly erupted near a security checkpoint while reporters were preparing for live coverage.
NBC News correspondent Julie Tsirkin was reporting from the North Lawn on May 23 when the frightening scene unfolded. Video footage shows the journalist pausing mid-report after hearing what initially sounded like fireworks in the distance.
“What is that?” Tsirkin can be heard asking her cameraman, who responded, “It sounds like fireworks.”
Seconds later, the situation quickly escalated.
Footage captured Tsirkin and nearby media personnel rushing toward the White House press briefing room as armed Secret Service agents moved into position outside the building.
Authorities later identified the suspect as 21-year-old Nasire Best, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
Officials say Best approached a Secret Service checkpoint near the White House complex shortly after 6 p.m. and allegedly opened fire, injuring a bystander before being shot and killed by Secret Service agents.
President Donald Trump was reportedly inside the White House at the time of the incident but was not harmed, according to officials.
Speaking shortly after the shooting, Tsirkin described the chaotic moments from inside the briefing room.
“I was outside on the North Lawn getting ready to tape something when myself and my cameraman heard what sounded like 20 to 30 shots,” she said during an NBC News segment.
She added that a Secret Service agent emerged from a nearby security booth with weapons drawn and instructed everyone in the area to immediately “run inside the press briefing room.”
ABC News senior White House correspondent Selina Wang was also nearby during the incident and shared separate footage from the scene. In a social media post, Wang wrote that it “sounded like dozens of gunshots” as chaos unfolded near the White House grounds.
The White House was briefly placed on lockdown while law enforcement secured the area and investigated the shooting.
The dramatic footage and reporters’ real-time reactions quickly spread online, with many viewers shocked by how suddenly the situation unfolded in one of the country’s most heavily protected locations.
The incident is now raising renewed questions about security around the White House — and how quickly dangerous situations can unfold even in highly monitored areas.
