1 killed, 4 injured in shooting in Washington, D.C.'s Logan Circle neighborhood; suspect is dead

Five people were shot, including one who died, as a gunman opened fire in and outside a gym in Washington, D.C.'s Logan Circle neighborhood on Thursday morning, police said. 

Multiple law enforcement sources identified the shooter as Matthew Lambert, a doctor who lived in an apartment unit above Logan Circle's Vida Fitness. Jeffrey Carroll, the interim chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, later confirmed the shooter's identity and said he was 55 years old.

Carroll said Lambert barricaded himself inside his apartment after the shooting. He spoke with negotiators for about an hour before shooting himself, Carroll said. Police later confirmed he died at the scene, where a shotgun, a rifle and a handgun were recovered. 

Carroll said there were five victims, not counting the shooter. One is deceased, one is in critical condition and three have non-life-threatening injuries. The injured victims have been transported to area hospitals, Carroll said. 

The victim who was killed was identified as James Stuart, a 46-year-old D.C. resident. Police said he was the manager of the building where the shooting occurred and investigators believe he was specifically targeted because of the gunman's long-running conflict with the building's homeowners association.

The four people hospitalized are two men and two women. They have not been publicly identified and it was not immediately clear if they were specifically targeted or shot at random.

Victims found in multiple locations 

Carroll said police received a call for the shooting just before 8 a.m. and that authorities responded within 30 seconds. 

Stuart was shot in the gym. Other victims included members of a construction crew across the street and a person in the lobby or alley outside the gym, Carroll said. The suspect is believed to have used all three firearms at some point, Carroll said. 

Police said they were not sure how the shooter obtained the three guns recovered in his apartment, noting none were registered to him in Washington, D.C.

CBS News national security correspondent Nicole Sganga says it appears the suspect opened fire in and outside Vida Fitness, then retreated into a parking garage and ascended into the apartment building before barricading himself in a unit on the seventh floor, where police say he lived.

Carroll said the four victims who were hospitalized were shot at by the gunman after he had retreated to his apartment, and that he fired at them from his patio balcony.

Police believe the suspect used the handgun while in the gym and the rifle when he was on the balcony. He said the shotgun was used "at the end of the incident," but did not specify if that was the gun the shooter used to kill himself.

Carroll said a fire also was set inside the building at some point during the incident. The suspect broke the gas line in his apartment's fireplace and there was also gasoline and other flammable materials in the apartment, Carroll disclosed.
The building's sprinklers went off and firefighters arrived shortly after, containing the fire.

Carroll said the initial shooting of the five victims unfolded within a time period of about five minutes. Gunshots continued to be heard for the better part of two hours, while officers with the Metro Police Department negotiated with the suspect. Carroll said the suspect fired through the apartment door at police on two occasions. While on the phone with negotiators, the suspect shot himself, Carroll said. 

After hearing the gunshot, officers forced entry into the apartment, where they found the suspect suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Carroll did not say where the suspect shot himself. 

Police say suspect had conflict with homeowners association 

Carroll initially described the suspect as a White man. Multiple law enforcement sources confirmed his identity to CBS News on Thursday afternoon, and Carroll later confirmed his identity at a news conference.

Carroll said most of the conversation between the shooter and the negotiators was centered around the conflicts the shooter had with the building's homeowners association.

He was believed to be a member of the gym, Carroll said.

Jonathan Csapo told CBS News that the suspected shooter was his upstairs neighbor. Csapo said he had not interacted with the suspect "all that much" but knew he was "very disgruntled with the building's management," who he believed "weren't taking sufficient action" about a water issue in his apartment. The suspect aired his complaints on X and had filed a lawsuit against the building, Csapo said. He also complained during board meetings, becoming "a little more upset" at two recent gatherings, Csapo said. 

"He invited everybody to his unit to see the damage," Csapo said. "He wanted people to know what was happening. He wanted more attention, and he was getting increasingly frustrated that people weren't listening to him." 

Csapo said he evacuated the building by fire escape after hearing the fire alarm go off. Then he heard shots fired. He and others took shelter around the corner, he said. He said he was shocked that the building, which he described as safe and tight-knit, was at the center of a mass shooting. 

"Everybody knows each other. The building is only 99 units. Everybody says hi to each other in the hallway," Csapo said. "We're just a little neighborhood, and we're all, I think, quite shocked." 

Multiple agencies respond 

The shooting took place about 1 mile north of the White House. Multiple federal agencies responded because of their proximity to the incident, officials said. 

Streets were closed and residents were asked to avoid the area. A shelter-in-place order was issued. 

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms said its Washington bureau was at the scene and assisting. The Federal Bureau of Investigation said its Washington field office was also aiding the MPD. 

The Secret Service, U.S. Marshals and U.S. Park Police were also responding to the scene. There are no Secret Service protectees involved. The agency and FBI responded because of their proximity to the incident, not because of any connection to the White House. 

Vida Fitness emailed members on Thursday morning to say that its Logan Circle location would be closed until further notice. 

Witnesses describe "horrific" scene 

Witness Jennifer Christine said she was on a treadmill in the gym when she heard shots ring out. She said she witnessed one death inside the gym before leaving the building and taking shelter in a local bagel shop.

"There was no way of getting out of the gym other than going past that scene," Christine told reporters. "It was like chaos. It was horrific, honestly."

Another witness told reporters that he was also on a treadmill when he heard a loud bang. He first thought the sound was a ball popping or something falling to the floor. Then he saw blood on the floor. An alarm went off, and the gym was evacuated, he said. The witness said he and other gym attendees ran outside, where police were already gathered. Then, more shots were fired. 

"We all just started running and people are scattering everywhere," the witness said. 

Witness Max Smith told media that he heard multiple shots around 8:30 a.m. He said he and about 10 other bystanders also took shelter in the bagel shop. 

"I'm very shaken up," Smith said. "You know, you don't expect it."