Biden Security Staffer Accused Of Shooting Girlfriend In Shower

A former Biden White House security staffer faces an involuntary manslaughter charge after allegedly firing a gun through a wall and fatally striking his girlfriend while she showered in their San Francisco apartment Tuesday night.

Nation Wood, 25, told investigators that he was pulling the trigger on what he believed was an unloaded firearm inside the residence, according to the SF Standard, citing a source familiar with the case. A live round discharged, sending a bullet through the wall and killing 22-year-old Samantha Emge.

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Christopher Hu set Wood’s bail at $300,000 during a Friday arraignment. District Attorney Brooke Jenkins told the SF Standard that the probe remained in its earliest stages. “This is a very fresh investigation,” Jenkins said. “While I understand some facts have come out, we are just beginning to determine everything that took place in that apartment that night.” Prosecutors filed charging documents accusing Wood of killing Emge “without malice.” (RELATED: Secret Service Agent Protecting Jill Biden Shoots Himself, Agency Says)

Wood described himself on LinkedIn as an “independent pre-event site security advisor” who conducted assessments for gatherings attended by high-profile officials, according to the Daily Mail. He listed part-time White House security work from November 2023 through July 2025. The U.S. Secret Service told the Daily Mail that Wood was not a member of the agency.

Biden staffer who proudly posed with Kamala Harris is charged with killing his girlfriend, 22, at San Francisco home https://t.co/VRWLX231zG

— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) March 27, 2026

Wood also posted a photo on LinkedIn posing with then-Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff near a presidential aircraft during a 2024 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, the Daily Mail reported.

Emge graduated from San Francisco State University in 2025 with a degree in interior design and architecture and held a position at a Presidio Heights design firm, according to the SF Standard. Jenkins said that only Wood and Emge occupied the apartment at the time of the shooting.

Wood’s public defender Doug Welch requested his client’s release to a relative’s custody and said Wood had a pending National Guard commitment, the SF Standard reported. Should Wood post bail, he must submit to electronic monitoring and cannot leave California without court approval. A passport forfeiture hearing is scheduled for April 9.

Former prosecutor Steven Clark told NBC Bay Area that the case carries a clear warning about firearm negligence. “It’s very much a cautionary tale that if you mishandle a firearm and someone is killed, you can go to prison even if it’s a tragic accident,” Clark said. Involuntary manslaughter carries up to four years in state prison under California law, with the potential for additional time if prosecutors pursue a firearm enhancement.