Newly released video captured the split-second a journalist dropped to the ground for cover as gunfire erupted near the White House.
ABC News correspondent Selina Wang was recording a social clip on her iPhone from the Pebble Beach area when sharp popping sounds rang out behind her.
She quickly crouched and shielded herself, only later learning how close she had been to an armed confrontation outside the president’s residence.
The suspected shooter has been identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best, who was shot and killed by Secret Service personnel outside the White House on Saturday (May 23). CNN sources said he was already known to agents due to previous incidents.
According to agents who spoke with CNN, Best approached a checkpoint outside the complex and opened fire at officers—shots Wang could hear from the building’s northern side.
Trump was inside the White House at the time and was not injured, though a bystander was reportedly struck during the chaos.
Officials have not confirmed additional injuries, but Best died at the scene.
Investigators are still working to determine a motive. However, his social media reportedly included threats directed at President Trump, and he had previously fixated on the White House.
Law enforcement had taken him into custody in the past, including as recently as last year.
Records also indicate authorities were aware of him in the summer ‘walking around the White House complex inquiring how to gain access at various entry points’.
I was in the middle of taping on my iPhone for a social video from the White House North Lawn when we heard the shots. It sounded like dozens of gunshots. We were told to sprint to the press briefing room where we are holding now. pic.twitter.com/iqdQwh4soq
— Selina Wang (@selinawangtv) May 23, 2026
Additionally, in June, he ‘obstructed vehicle entry’ to part of the grounds, followed by an incident a month later in which he entered a restricted area.
Wang said she first realized the seriousness of what was happening while filming, when she and others were instructed to ‘sprint to the press briefing room’ as the White House was placed on lockdown.
“I was in the middle of taping on my iPhone for a social video from the White House North Lawn when we heard the shots,” said Wang on X, with the video of her interrupted report posted alongside the text.
“It sounded like dozens of gunshots. We were told to sprint to the press briefing room where we are holding now.”
One X user responded with support, writing: “Hearing that in real time must’ve been intense. Stay safe and take care.”
Following the shooting, the president posted a statement on Truth Social praising the response from the Secret Service and law enforcement for their ‘swift and professional’ actions, writing: “He [Best] had a violent history and possible obsession with our Country’s most cherished structure.
“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. The National Security of our Country demands it!”