DC shooting: Gunman lay in wait before deadly Logan Circle attack; video captured ambush, police say
DC police reveal Logan Circle shooter waited nearly an hour, amassed ammo in condo
D.C. Interim Police Chief Jeffery Carroll and Mayor Muriel Bowser provided major new details Friday following Thursday’s deadly shooting at VIDA Fitness in Logan Circle. Investigators revealed surveillance video shows the suspect waited inside the gym for nearly an hour before fatally shooting the victim, and a search of his two-story apartment uncovered several hundred rounds of ammunition, gasoline or kerosene accelerants, and a damaged gas line. Police also confirmed a sixth victim suffered a minor arm injury, two victims remain hospitalized, and the apartment building has been deemed uninhabitable due to water damage and utility shutoffs.
WASHINGTON - The suspected gunman in Thursday’s deadly shooting in Washington, D.C.'s Logan Circle neighborhood lay in wait inside a fitness center for nearly an hour before fatally shooting his building manager from behind without warning, police said.
D.C. Interim Police Chief Jeffery W. Carroll said surveillance video from inside the VIDA Fitness center in the 1500 block of 15th Street captured 55-year-old Dr. Matt Lambert walking up behind 46-year-old James Stuart around 8 a.m. Thursday and opening fire without speaking.
"I'm not even sure that the victim knew he was behind him," Carroll said, adding that investigators believe the attack was planned.
A high-powered rifle round fired went through a television, a wall and a window, Carroll said.
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VIDA Fitness CEO speaks out after deadly DC gym shooting
VIDA Fitness founder and CEO David von Storch is speaking out following the deadly shooting at the Logan Circle gym, saying the club's "sense of safety has been violated." In an interview with FOX 5, he described the community as heartbroken for the victims—including 15-year club member James Stuart—as well as the staff and members left traumatized after hiding in closets during the attack. VIDA Fitness is now working to pull together counseling resources for its employees and members.
Police also released new details about a sixth victim confirmed in the attack, bringing the total number of people wounded to five, in addition to Stuart. Authorities said the sixth victim, a woman, was in the area of the gym when she suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot graze wound to her arm or elbow area. She self-treated the injury, was evaluated at the scene and was not hospitalized. Exactly where she was around the gym when she was struck remains under investigation.
Authorities said Lambert, who was originally from West Virginia, returned to his two-story, seventh-floor condominium at The Metropole above the gym after the initial shooting, climbed an interior staircase to his patio and fired several rounds toward the street.
Among the four other victims injured, two remained hospitalized, including one in critical but stable condition, police said. One of the hospitalized victims was in the alley area of the apartment building when she was shot. Two other victims were working at a construction site in the 1400 block of Church Street, and another person was also in the Church Street area when struck.
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Lambert barricaded himself inside his unit and fired through the door at responding officers, though Carroll said police did not return fire.
During more than an hour of communication with police negotiators, the majority of Lambert's conversation focused on the homeowners association and condo association, Carroll said. An early Thursday post on a social media account believed to belong to Lambert read, "My manifesto is an engineering report," appearing connected to a 20-month lawsuit he filed against The Metropole over alleged water damage and mold.
Officers heard a gunshot inside the apartment, and tactical officers forced entry to find Lambert dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Carroll said investigators found multiple crime scenes across different floors of the building, including shell casings on another floor. Inside Lambert's unit, sheetrock had been removed from the walls, and authorities recovered several hundred rounds of ammunition and an accelerant, either gasoline or kerosene. There was also damage to a gas line leading to the fireplace.
DC shooting: Residents react to deadly Logan Circle attack
Authorities are continuing their investigation after they say a local doctor fatally shot a property manager inside a Washington, D.C. gym and wounded four other people from his condo patio before dying by suicide, leaving the Logan Circle community in mourning.
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The apartment building is currently uninhabitable due to water damage and a lack of gas and electricity, and residents are coordinating with building staff to retrieve essential items.
Police said no prior threats had been reported to them, and investigators are still working to determine where Lambert purchased the firearms.
Mayor Muriel Bowser offered condolences to Stuart's family, those recovering and everyone affected at the gym and apartment building. "My heart just breaks for everyone," Bowser said.
Dozens of residents also gathered in Logan Circle to light candles, lay flowers and leave notes of support. Ward 2 D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto, who lives in the neighborhood, said the community was wrapping its arms around one another following the violence.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 202-727-9099 or text a tip to the department's text tip line at 50411.
DC shooting: 6th victim now identified in Logan Circle attack
D.C. police have confirmed a sixth shooting victim linked to Thursday’s deadly attack in the Logan Circle neighborhood.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Metropolitan Police Department.