Witnesses recount shooting at Washington, D.C. gym: "Everyone's running around everywhere"

For many in Washington's Logan Circle neighborhood, Thursday morning began with chaos and fear.

Five people were shot, one of whom died, after a gunman opened fire inside Vida Fitness in the northwest D.C. neighborhood. The shooter then barricaded himself inside his apartment above the gym before shooting himself.

Law enforcement sources identified the suspect as Matthew Lambert to CBS News. Police confirmed he died about a half-hour after the barricade situation ended.

While many residents and workers said they still feel safe in the neighborhood, they described a frightening scene that will take time to get over.

Describing the chaos

John Brooks is among those working to open a new Kneads location near P and 15th streets in Logan Circle. He commutes to and from Baltimore.

He was just getting into his workday Thursday when things suddenly took a turn. Brooks was removing a barrier so his crew could bring equipment inside when he noticed "everyone's running around everywhere."

Not long after, Brooks said it seemed like every police officer in the city had descended on the corner. The shop is just a stone's throw from Vida Fitness.

Amid the chaos, Brooks said one of his workers was injured.

"Reached out to figure out where my mechanic is and apparently he's at the hospital," Brooks said. "He got clipped by a bullet, grazed in the arm is what I heard."

As the shooting and barricade situation unfolded, a woman who identified herself only as Ashley and Hector Centeno took shelter inside a nearby Starbucks. They ended up spending about three hours inside.

"Either the Avengers was about to happen, or [Grand Theft Auto] was going on, little bit of everything going on," Ashley said.

Centeno, a property manager in the neighborhood, said he and Ashley spent much of their time monitoring the door. Several other people were also sheltering inside.

"There was a witness that [met] the shooter who was in the back. She was traumatized as well, they had her in the kitchen because she didn't want to come out," Centeno said.

No one WJZ spoke with Thursday said the shooting had made them feel unsafe in the neighborhood. Still, they acknowledged it would take time to process what they witnessed.

What we know about the victims

Lambert reportedly had a conflict with his building's homeowners association, according to police.

The victim who died, James Stuart, was the manager of the building where the shooting happened, according to CBS News.

Of the four surviving victims, three suffered non-life-threatening injuries, while the fourth sustained serious injuries.