At least four people were wounded and one was killed during a shooting at a condo building in the Logan Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C., early Thursday, police said. The gunman was identified as 55-year-old emergency room physician Matt Lambert.
Officers responded to reports of an active shooting at a gym inside the building just before 8 a.m. ET, Metropolitan Police Department interim chief Jeffery Carroll said at a press briefing.
Once inside, police located one victim — building manager James Stuart, 46 — who died at the scene, Carroll said. Four others were wounded after Lambert went back up to his apartment, where he barricaded himself inside, and shot them from his balcony. They were transported to local hospitals. One was in critical condition, Carroll said. Three had non-life-threatening injuries.
Much of the block was cordoned off, and nearby schools were placed on temporary lockdown.
"This whole incident took place in less than five minutes. ... I can only imagine being in that area and hearing the gunshots or being inside the gym," Carroll said.
SWAT officers walk behind police tape at the scene of Thursday's shooting.
While police attempted to negotiate with Lambert, he fatally shot himself, Carroll said.
While inside his apartment, Lambert also cut a natural gas line to the fireplace, starting a fire, Carroll said. The building's sprinkler system was activated and the fire was extinguished.
Lambert's long-running disputes with his building's homeowners association are believed to be what prompted the attack, Carroll said, specifically with regard to "maintenance issues, mold and the like." He had ongoing litigation, claiming that his home was unlivable and that the problems began after a contractor had worked on the building's facade.
He also appeared to share his problems on social media, saying in one post on X, "My manifesto is an engineering report."
The building's management has denied responsibility.
Joel Braithwaite, the lawyer who represented Lambert in the dispute, expressed shock at what happened, describing Lambert as someone who cared about people and was "calm and collected."
"I'm at a loss for how things took any sort of turn that would have us here today," he told NBC 4, adding, "Litigation wears on you."
He said Lambert had spent more than $300,000 in pressing the lawsuit.
Law enforcement officers are seen atop a building in Washington, D.C., on Thursday following reports of an active shooting.
James Spellman, who was at the gym, told the Associated Press that there were about 50 people there when the shooting began.
"Within seconds there was a man who fell to the ground, and a pool of blood came out," Spellman said. "One gym member rushed to help him. He was instantly dead. He had been shot in the neck."
Witness Ryan Dubicki said he was in his apartment around 8 a.m. when he "heard about five bangs."
"They were really spread out so I thought it was construction," Dubicki told the AP. His building's managers sent a notice about a possible active shooter.
Another witness, Max Smith, told reporters that he heard gunshots and took shelter in a nearby shop. "I'm very shaken up," Smith said. "You know, you don't expect it."
The shootings, which occurred just a mile from the White House, prompted a massive law enforcement response.
