A 55-year-old doctor shot and killed his building manager inside a Logan Circle gym Thursday morning, Nov. 12, then shot four people at ground level from his balcony, according to D.C. police. He later died of what police said appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The gunman, Dr. Matt Lambert, opened fire at VIDA Fitness in the 1500 block of 15th Street NW shortly before 8 a.m., interim Metropolitan Police Department Chief Jeffery Carroll said at a press conference. He killed James Stuart, 46, the building's property manager. Stuart was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police believe Lambert targeted Stuart over a running dispute about conditions in Lambert's million-dollar penthouse condo, Carroll said. Carroll said the dispute between Lambert and management concerned "maintenance issues, mold and the like. We believe it's related to that," according to AP News.

After the gym shooting, Lambert went to his apartment in the same building and fired a rifle from his balcony, hitting four people at ground level, Carroll said.

Two men and two women were taken to hospitals. One remained in critical condition by late afternoon. The other three had injuries that did not appear life-threatening, FOX 5 DC reported.

Lambert fired through his apartment door at officers at least twice, Carroll said. During the standoff, Lambert broke a gas line in the unit and started a fire, Carroll said, which the building's sprinkler system contained. Investigators found multiple flammable substances inside the condo.

Police negotiators spoke with Lambert by phone for more than an hour. During the call, officers heard a gunshot. They forced their way in and found Lambert with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was later pronounced dead. Officers recovered a rifle, a handgun and a shotgun from the apartment.

Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto told NBC Washington that the shooting inside the gym appeared targeted but the gunfire outside did not.

"It is just terrible. Nobody should have to experience that type of fear or violence in our communities," Pinto said, according to 7News.

A lawsuit over mold

Court records show Lambert sued the Metropole Condominium Association in March 2025. He alleged that water leaks and mold from facade work in 2024 had made his penthouse uninhabitable, and that he had been displaced from the unit since November 2024, FOX 5 DC reported.

Lambert's attorney, Joel Braithwaite, told reporters he was "deeply shaken and saddened" by the violence. He said Lambert had spent more than $300,000 on the lawsuit, AP News reported. Braithwaite said Lambert attended depositions the week before the shooting and seemed to be in good spirits.

"We have motions and things that are pending, but by all accounts, things were going very well for us," Braithwaite said, according to FOX 5 DC.

Mayor Muriel Bowser called the shooting "a senseless act of gun violence." Mayor-elect Janeese Lewis George wrote on X that "a life was lost in this unthinkable tragedy."

Former Washington Post reporter Michael Brice-Saddler, now writing for the Washington Sun, said he interviewed Lambert in late 2025 about the mold problems in his building:

In a series of interviews in late November and December 2025 — including two visits inside his gutted penthouse at the Metropole on 15th Street Northwest — Lambert described how a dispute over severe water leaks and black mold had turned into “psychological warfare” between himself, building manager James Stuart, the management company EJF Real Estate Services and their insurance defense attorneys.
“It’s affected every part of my life — my sleep, dietary habits,” Lambert told me in December. “I pride myself on my resilience, and I’ve been kind of surprised at how much it has been affected.”

Schools on alert, block sheltered

The FBI Washington Field Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives assisted police at the scene. The Metropolitan Police Department posted on X urging residents to avoid the area.

D.C. Public Schools put 13 nearby schools on alert during the standoff and lifted those alerts by 11:30 a.m. A shelter-in-place order for the surrounding block was also lifted.

Police have not identified the four wounded people or said whether Lambert knew any of them. The investigation is ongoing, and police asked witnesses to contact them. VIDA Fitness said its Logan Circle location will stay closed until further notice.