‘Like nothing happened’: Tourists flock to White House day after deadly shooting
WASHINGTON, DC: Tourists returned to the White House after a gunman opened fire near a security checkpoint, with many visitors insisting the area still felt “calm” and “normal” even as police tape, armed officers, blood stains and a bullet hole remained visible around the complex.
Crowds gathered outside the White House despite the heavy security presence following Saturday night’s shooting. Visitors continued taking photos near The People’s House: A White House Experience museum, where a shattered window with a bullet hole could still be seen.
Visitors say atmosphere felt normal
Reuters interviewed tourists visiting the White House on Sunday, May 24, many of whom appeared unfazed by the visible aftermath of the shooting that left one bystander hospitalized and the suspect dead.
“Apart from the shooting, yes, it feels nice, it feels calm, like nothing happened yesterday,” one man told the outlet. “Everything is as normal, as it is expected.”
The comments came as additional fencing, police tape and armed Secret Service officers surrounded the area following the attack.
Another family visiting the US for the first time said they still wanted the White House to be their first stop despite the violence that unfolded nearby just hours earlier.
“We wanted to start with seeing the White House because it’s so epic and an amazing place,” a family member said.
The emotional disconnect between the calm mood among tourists and the physical signs left behind by the shooting was visible throughout the area Sunday, with visitors walking past blood stains on the footpath while continuing sightseeing activities around the White House grounds.
Shooting aftermath remains visible
The suspect was identified as 21-year old Maryland man Nasire Best, who had previously been barred from returning to the White House after an earlier arrest for entering a restricted area.
Best approached a security checkpoint Saturday evening and began firing at officers before he was shot by Secret Service agents. He later died in hospital.
A bystander struck by gunfire during the incident remained in serious but stable condition.
Secret Service Director Sean Curran defended the agency’s response in a statement issued after the shooting.
His officers, Curran said, saved lives through their “decisive response”.
Even with the visible security crackdown and evidence from the attack still present, tourists continued lining up near the White House and taking photos outside the historic site, with many describing the atmosphere as unexpectedly peaceful despite the violence that had unfolded there hours earlier.
