DC Gym Shooting Tied to Dispute with Building Management
Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll said the doctor who killed the building manager had filed a civil case over maintenance and mold issues.
By Julia Wang ·
James Stuart, a 46-year-old building manager from northwest Washington DC, was shot and killed at the VIDA Fitness gym just before 8 a.m. on Thursday. The suspect, identified as Matt Lambert, a physician, wounded four other people at the facility before barricading himself in his apartment.
Metropolitan Police Department interim Chief Jeffery Carroll told reporters that the shooting appears connected to an ongoing dispute between Lambert and the homeowners association management. Carroll stated that the conflict involved maintenance issues and mold. Lambert had filed a civil case against the management, which officials believe was the motive for the attack.
Witnesses described the scene inside the gym, which held approximately 50 people when the shooting began. James Spellman, who was present, said a man fell to the ground with a pool of blood forming around him. One gym member rushed to assist Stuart, but he died instantly from a gunshot wound to the neck.
One of the four other wounded individuals is in critical condition, while the remaining three sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Lambert owned and lived in his apartment since 2016. The residence has an estimated value of more than $1 million. An account on the social media platform X, believed to be Lambert's, posted about 200 times regarding building issues over a 13-month period. A manifesto was posted by that account shortly after the shooting.
Police officers arrived at the scene within seconds of the initial call. While clearing a nearby residential building, they heard gunfire from the seventh floor, where Lambert had taken refuge. During a phone negotiation, officers heard a gunshot. Carroll said Lambert fired through the door at officers at least twice while barricaded inside. When officers forced entry into the unit, they found Lambert dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser described the incident as a senseless act of gun violence and praised the swift law enforcement response. She added that the White House had been briefed on the situation.
