Gunman Kills 1, Wounds 4 at Washington DC Gym, Then Dies by Suicide
A gunman shot five people, killing one, at a gym in Washington DC's Logan Circle on Thursday morning, November 12. Police say he barricaded himself in a nearby apartment and died by suicide. Officials point to a dispute with his building's homeowners association.
A gunman shot five people, killing one, inside and near a gym in the Logan Circle neighborhood of Washington DC on Thursday morning, November 12, police said. The suspect died by suicide after barricading himself in an apartment above the gym, in a five shot, one killed attack that locked down part of the US capital.
The area is about a mile north of the White House. The attack drew a heavy response from local and federal agencies.
What police said
Jeffery Carroll, the interim chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, said officers received a report of a shooting just before 8 am local time at the 1500 block of 15th Street. He said officers reached the scene within 30 seconds and found a man who had been shot inside the gym.
More calls followed. Four other people were taken to hospital, Carroll said. One of them is in critical condition, and police said the three others have injuries that are not life-threatening.
While officers cleared an apartment building on the block, gunshots rang out on the seventh floor. Police determined the suspect had barricaded himself in an apartment there.
Negotiators spoke with him for more than an hour. Carroll said officers then heard a gunshot over the phone, forced their way in and found the suspect with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Suspect and motive
Carroll said the shooting appeared to stem from a "conflict between him and the homeowners association of the building." Council member Brooke Pinto identified the suspect as a physician named Matt Lambert. Local media reports describe him as an emergency-room doctor who had sued his homeowners association over mould and water damage.
Pinto said the suspect first shot a person at the gym with whom he was in litigation. "The suspect, in fleeing the scene, also shot others," she told local television. Police have not said whether the other victims were targeted.
Police said the gunman was a member of the gym, VIDA Fitness, and had a handgun at one point. They said they did not know whether other weapons were involved.
Witnesses describe panic
James Spellman, who said about 50 people were in the gym, described the first victim falling. "He was instantly dead. He had been shot in the neck," he said.
Another gym-goer said she was on a treadmill when she heard a gunshot. "It was, like, chaos. It was horrific," she said. People sheltered in a nearby bagel shop as more shots were fired outside.
Authorities told people nearby to go inside and stay away from windows. Schools in the area were placed on alert or lockdown, and some downtown government staff were told to shelter in place. Metro riders were asked to avoid the Dupont Circle and Farragut West areas.
Federal presence
FBI, Secret Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives personnel joined city police at the scene. National Guard members, deployed in Washington as part of a crime crackdown ordered by US President Donald Trump, were also there.
Mayor Muriel Bowser called it a "senseless act of gun violence" and said the White House had been briefed. Police later said the scene was safe but asked the public to avoid the area as they continued checking the building. The victims have not been publicly identified.
