Doctor kills self after shooting five

Residents of the Logan Circle neighborhood in Washington D.C. woke to a scene of emergency response on Thursday morning. Five people were shot in the area, with one death confirmed at a local fitness center. The incident forced authorities to cordon off sections of 15th Street Northwest, affecting nearby businesses and schools.

The gunman, identified as Matt Lambert, fatally shot himself while hiding in his penthouse apartment. Jeffery Carroll, the interim chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, stated that Lambert had been speaking with police negotiators by phone when he died. Lambert was a medical doctor who had been in a dispute with his building management. Court records indicate he sued the management company last year over mold and moisture issues in his seventh-floor unit. He claimed the problems started after exterior work on the building was completed by a contractor. Mediation for the case was scheduled for March of next year.

The first shooting occurred around 8 a.m. inside VIDA Fitness. James Spellman, a witness present at the gym, estimated that about 50 people were in the building when the violence began. He described seeing a man fall to the ground with a pool of blood forming around him. One other gym member rushed to assist the victim, who had been shot in the neck. The man died instantly, according to Spellman.

Anthony Mirones was in the cardio area when he heard a loud bang. He initially thought an object had fallen off the wall. As people tried to help the injured man, the building’s fire alarm activated, causing a rush of evacuees. Mirones noted that members in the cardio section had to step over the body to leave. Carroll reported that one man died at the gym and another victim remained in critical condition.

Shots were also heard outside the gym. Ryan Dubicki, an employee for The Associated Press, was in a nearby apartment when he heard five distinct bangs. He believed the sounds were construction noise until police vehicles filled the street. SWAT teams and other officers positioned themselves on the roof of an apartment building and on the ground below with weapons drawn.

Mayor Muriel Bowser described the loss of life as a senseless act of gun violence. She said she was devastated by the event. The neighborhood has experienced other incidents recently. In early August 2025, a former member of the Department of Government Efficiency was assaulted by a group of teenagers. That event led President Donald Trump to impose direct federal control over the city. Hundreds of National Guard members were deployed to the area, and that deployment is still active.