Disgruntled Tenant Kills Building Manager in Washington DC Shooting
A 55-year-old doctor in a long dispute with his building's management shot dead manager James Stuart and wounded four others in Washington's Logan Circle on November 12, police said. He then killed himself after a standoff. One victim is in critical condition.
A 55-year-old doctor shot dead building manager James Stuart, 46, and wounded four other people at an apartment building in Washington's Logan Circle neighborhood on Thursday, November 12, 2026, police said. The gunman then barricaded himself in his apartment and killed himself.
The disgruntled tenant, identified as Matt Wade Lambert, had been in a long dispute with the building's management. One of the four wounded is in critical condition.
The shooting began in the morning inside a gym in the apartment building, about a mile (1.6km) north of the White House. Streets nearby were closed, and dozens of police vehicles and helicopters converged on the area.
What police said
Jeffery Carroll, interim chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, said the dispute involved the condo and homeowners association management. It concerned maintenance issues and mould. Lambert had filed a civil case against them.
"So we believe that it's related to that," Carroll told a news conference.
Police believe Lambert fired inside the gym, fled, and then shot at four people on the ground level from his seventh-floor patio balcony. Authorities have not yet established the exact timeline or his motivation.
Officers recovered three firearms from his apartment, and police said he used all three. He had no firearms registered to him in Washington, and it is unclear how he got them.
Carroll said the gunman fired through his apartment door at officers at least twice. Negotiators were on the phone with him when they heard a gunshot and he stopped responding. Officers forced their way in and found what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police also found containers of flammable liquid in the apartment. "It does appear there was some level of planning associated with this," Carroll said.
Witnesses describe panic
Michael Carney was on a treadmill at the gym when the shooting started. He said he heard "one pop" and assumed an exercise ball had burst. Then he saw a shot victim on the floor.
"Everyone was kind of just hiding behind planters and stuff," Carney said. After he got outside, he heard five or 10 more shots.
Resident Jonathan Csapo said a fire alarm went off. As he left through a fire escape, he heard gunshots very close by.
"I could see the smoke, I could see the flash. We just all started running," Csapo said. He took cover behind a brick structure, and a building manager later led him to a safe room.
Mayor Muriel Bowser called the attack a "senseless act of gun violence" and said the White House had been briefed. Police evacuated some residents and told others to shelter in place.
The injuries of the other three wounded did not appear to be life-threatening, Carroll said. Police have not said whether the gunman knew any of the victims other than Stuart.
