Joe Biden’s Former Security Staffer Pleads Not Guilty After Being Accused of Killing Girlfriend

Nation Wood — a onetime security staffer for former President Joe Biden — was collared in California for allegedly killing his girlfriend.

Wood, 25, has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in relation to the gunshot death of Samantha Emge, 22, according to Fox News Digital. He was arrested hours after the mortally wounded interior designer died at a hospital.

According to the report, Wood claimed to be “dry-firing” his gun at his San Francisco apartment and didn’t realize it was loaded when a bullet went through the wall and struck Emge, who was showering.

“It does seem like a horrific accident,” Doug Welch with the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, which is representing Wood, said, according to local outlet KTVU.

The suspect reportedly identifies himself online as a former part-timer who began working with Biden’s Secret Service team in November 2023 and ended his term in July 2025, and he’s since described his employment as an “independent pre-event site security adviser.”

A White House spokesperson confirmed Wood was employed as part of the Biden administration.

In 2024, the accused gunman posed in front of a presidential jet for a photo with former veep — and future failed White House hopeful — Kamala Harris, former second gentleman Doug Emhoff, her husband, and others, according to the New York Post.

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Christopher Hu set the suspect’s bail at $300,000, noting he was soon slated to serve in the National Guard.

“I do think there is a flight risk in the case,” Hu said in court, per KTVU.

If Wood posts bail, he will be required to wear an ankle monitor, prohibited from having weapons and subject to search at any time, sources say.

Wood, who is currently in San Francisco County Jail, faces up to four years in prison if convicted.