Two people are dead, including a gunman, and four other people are injured after a mass shooting at a gym in Northwest D.C. near Logan Circle on Thursday morning, according to D.C. police. Just before 8 a.m., police received a call about a shooting inside the Vida Fitness gym in the 1500 block of 15th Street NW. Officers arrived within about 30 seconds. One person was found shot inside the gym and died at the scene.
Police then found four other people nearby who had been shot. They were taken to the hospital, and one of them has critical injuries. While searching for the suspect, who was identified as a white male, officers cleared the gym and an apartment building in the same block. Gunshots were heard on the building’s seventh floor.
READ | Leaders, organizations react to deadly DC mass shooting Police later determined the suspect had barricaded himself inside an apartment there. Negotiators made contact with the suspect and spoke to him for more than an hour, police said. During that communication, officers heard a gunshot. They then forced entry and found the suspect with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police said the suspect has since died.
Prior to the barricade, the suspect had also set parts of the building on fire. "We believe at some point there was a fire that was set. The fire alarm went off in the building. The sprinklers in the building did go off. There is a large amount of water inside of that location. So we do believe at some point there was a fire in the building," Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll said.
"It has been contained and put out at this time." RELATED | Witnesses recall chaos during Logan Circle Shooting The suspect lived in an apartment in the building and was also a member of the gym, officials said. D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto told 7News' crews at the scene that he was allegedly in litigation with the building manager and was targeting the manager in the shooting.
According to Pinto, the manager is the person who was shot and killed in the gym. Pinto was one of the first people to report the shooting in a post on her Instagram Thursday morning. "You know, I was getting ready to head to the office this morning when I got calls from residents," Pinto said. "It is just terrible. Nobody should have to experience that type of fear or violence in our communities.
Whether you're working out or on your way to work or on your way to school, and it will not be tolerated in our city." A Vida Fitness manager initially told 7News that shots were fired "outside" of the business. The business was immediately placed under lockdown and will be closed the rest of the day.
SEE ALSO | GALLERY: 5 shot as police deal with active shooter in Northwest DC A witness told 7News' Lianna Golden what he saw and heard as people fled a building in Logan Circle after five people were shot. He says he was trying to reach a friend who was inside the gym when police rushed people away from the scene. "I looked up and I saw people running out," Greg Raleigh said.
"I didn't see nobody run out the building with a gun, so I guess wherever he was, he's stayed in the building." D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called the shooting “a senseless act of gun violence” and said the city was devastated that someone had been killed. "I know many D.C. residents were awakened to this news and were very scared," Bowser said.
She thanked MPD, Fire and EMS and other local and federal responders for containing the situation. She said the White House had been briefed. Mayor-elect Janeese Lewis George also released a statement on social media. "The shooting in Logan Circle this morning is horrifying.
A life was lost in this unthinkable tragedy and I’m sending my sincere condolences to all the victims, their families, and D.C. residents living through this fear.
I'm grateful to the MPD officers and first responders who ran toward danger to protect others...Our city will stand with the Logan Circle community and everyone affected." READ MORE | UVA professor, former MPD officer gives insight amid active shooting in DC's Logan Circle D.C. Public Schools had also placed dozens of schools on alert status during the active situation. The lockdowns were lifted as of 11:30 a.m.
MPD’s Emergency Response Team is on scene, as well as Washington's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives division. FBI Washington is also assisting. 15th Street between P and R Street NW is still closed as the situation progresses. 14th Street between P and S Street NW has reopened.
Metro Transit Police also said that customers should expect to see an increased police presence at multiple stations in the area of the shooting "to ensure the safety of customers and staff." Bus service in that area has also been impacted by the investigation.
