Washington: One person was killed and four others were injured after a gunman opened fire inside and outside a gym in Washington DC’s Logan Circle neighbourhood on Thursday morning, police said. The suspected shooter later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The shooting began shortly before 8 am at VIDA Fitness on 15th Street Northwest. Police identified the person killed as James Stuart, 46, who managed the building housing the gym.
The suspected gunman was identified as Matt Wade Lambert, 55, a doctor who lived in an apartment in the same building. Police said Lambert shot Stuart inside the gym before firing at four other people from his apartment balcony.
One of the injured victims was in critical condition, while the other three sustained injuries that were not considered life-threatening. All four were taken to nearby hospitals.
After the shooting, Lambert barricaded himself inside his seventh-floor apartment. Police negotiators spoke with him for more than an hour before officers heard a gunshot and forced entry. They found him with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police said a fire was also started inside the apartment building after a gas line was broken. The fire was contained after the building’s sprinklers were activated.
Investigators believe the shooting may be linked to a dispute between Lambert and the building’s homeowners association. Court records indicate that the dispute involved allegations of mould and water damage in his apartment. Police have not announced a definitive motive.
The incident prompted a major police response and a shelter-in-place order in the area. The order was later lifted.
(With inputs from media reports)