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A man fatally shot a building manager inside an upscale Logan Circle gym early Thursday and then ran upstairs to his balcony, opening fire on people down on the sidewalk, D.C. police said.
The shooter, identified as medical doctor Matt Lambert, was in a dispute with his condo building, according to authorities and court records.
Police say Lambert killed one person and wounded four others as he sued over conditions in his $1 million penthouse. Lambert died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after barricading himself inside the building, police said.
The shooter opened fire inside VIDA Fitness at 1517 15th St. NW, killing James Stuart.
“We believe the suspect walked into VIDA to target somebody that he had been in active litigation with, over a condo issue,” D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto said. “It’s just so sad and so senseless to kill someone over a dispute that should be worked out reasonably.”
Anthony Mirones said he had only been on the treadmill inside the VIDA Fitness gym for a few minutes this morning when he heard a loud bang.
“I’m thinking a bouncy ball popped, or maybe like a painting fell on the floor,” he said.
Then he saw a man on the floor. Moronez said people tried to help the man but quickly realized his wound “in the upper body area” was too severe.
A fire alarm went off not long after, and people rushed to evacuate the gym.
James Stuart
James Stuart The man who was shot and killed inside VIDA Fitness in Logan Circle was 46-year-old James Stuart, D.C. police said.
After shooting Stuart, Lambert then ran upstairs to his condo and opened fire from his own private balcony, D.C. Interim Police Chief Jeffery Carroll said.
Lambert then shot four people who were at ground level, Carroll said.
It all happened within about five minutes.
Of the other four victims, one is in critical condition. The other three have injuries described as non-life-threatening.
“We’re very early in the investigation. We do know there was a conflict between him and the homeowners association of that building. But at this point, we’re continuing to look into that,” Carroll said.
Lambert was deeply upset with management of the building in the 1500 block of 15th Street NW. He filed a lawsuit, citing mold, moisture and water problems in his seventh-floor penthouse. He bought the 1,200-square-foot home for $1.095 million in 2016, D.C. tax records show. Online listings show he tried to sell in 2021 for $1.275 million.
D.C. police believe Dr. Matt Lambert gunned down building manager James Stuart in the Vida Fitness gym in Logan Circle as he sued over condo conditions. News4’s Ted Oberg and Tracee Wilkins tell what we know so far – including from Lambert’s lawyer.
The area is a busy block that includes a Whole Foods, restaurants and apartments in addition to the gym.
Police issued a shelter-in-place order for the entire 1500 block of 15th Street NW for about two and a half hours Thursday morning. Though the shelter in place order has been lifted, police were still asking people to avoid the area.
Pinto shared a statement on social media after police first responded at 8 a.m., confirming that the shooting took place “at and outside” the VIDA Fitness gym and asking people to stay away from the area.
‘We heard really loud, aggressive gunshots’
A witness in the gym at the time of the shooting told News4 that she heard gunshots while on the treadmill. She and others in the gym ran out of the building and took shelter in the Call Your Mother deli around the corner.
Oscar Vasquez, a manager at the deli, said he heard the fire alarms in the building go off. One to two minutes after everyone in the deli went outside, they heard the shooting.
“We heard really loud, aggressive gunshots. Not like pistols or anything,” Vasquez said. “We saw people running in. The whole team came inside; we tried to get as many people that were running out into the [deli] building. After that, we locked all the doors; cops told us not to let anybody in, and we stayed very away from the windows.”
During the emergency response and barricade, D.C. Public Schools issued an alert status for 13 schools in the area. During an alert status, nobody may enter or exit, but normal activities continue inside the building. That alert status was lifted at 11:25 a.m.
A massive police response could be seen from a block away at 15th Street and Rhode Island Avenue NW. Dozens of police cars and emergency response vehicles are in the area. Officers in tactical gear could also be seen arriving to the area.
The FBI, ATF Washington, D.C. Fire, Metro Transit Police, special police, Homeland Security and the National Guard were among the agencies that responded to the scene. Multiple medical ambulance buses could be seen arriving about 8:45 a.m.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called the shooting “a senseless act of gun violence” and said she and her team are “devastated.” But she pushed back against the idea that the Logan Circle shooting is illustrative of crime in D.C.
President Donald Trump has previously used allegedly high crime levels to justify the presence of federal agents and National Guard members in the District.
“It’s not typical to have an active shooter that guns down people in the city,” Bowser said during a press conference about 10:30 a.m.
Bowser said the White House has been briefed on the situation.
VIDA Fitness said in a message to gym members that the Logan Circle location will be closed until further notice.
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this incident. We understand that this news may be deeply concerning to our VIDA community,” the message said.
This article is not being updated as frequently as our live blog. Get live updates on this developing news here.
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