D.C. Gym Gunman Identified as Matt Lambert and Found Dead; Police Look at a Condo Dispute as a Possible Motive

The man who opened fire Thursday morning at a gym in Washington's Logan Circle neighborhood, killing one person and wounding four others, has been identified as Matt Lambert, and he is dead, authorities said.

Two federal law enforcement officials identified Lambert to NBC News, and the Associated Press also reported the identification. After the shooting, he barricaded himself inside a seventh-floor apartment in a building near the gym, where officers later found him dead of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Washington Blade reported.

The first call for help came in at about 8 a.m., according to NPR. The gunman walked into VIDA Fitness on 15th Street NW, shot a gym member in the back and ran out of the building, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to NBC News. He then shot four more people at other spots nearby before going into the apartment building. One adult man was killed inside the gym. One of the wounded was in critical condition, NBC News reported. The victims have not been named.

Interim Police Chief Jeffery Carroll said he believes the gunman was a member of the gym. Witnesses told NPR that members have to tap in to get into the workout floor.

D.C. police found three guns in Lambert's apartment, NBC Washington reported: a handgun they believe he used to shoot all five victims, a shotgun and a rifle. It was not immediately clear whether he owned any of them legally.

Police have not announced an official motive. But Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto, who represents the neighborhood, told NBC Washington that the gunman had been in active litigation over a condo issue. She said the first shooting inside the gym appeared to be targeted, while the gunfire outside did not appear to be.

The New York Post and other outlets reported that Lambert, described as a doctor, lived in a $1.1 million condo in the building above the gym. In March 2025, according to those reports, he sued the Metropole Condominium Association, claiming that repairs to the building had caused water damage and black mold that left his unit unlivable. Investigators are looking at whether that dispute played a role in Thursday's violence.

The shooting sent morning crowds running for cover about a mile north of the White House. Nearby schools were locked down, and residents were told to shelter in place as police shut down the 1500 block of 15th Street, which is also home to St. Luke's Episcopal Church and a Whole Foods. VIDA Fitness said its Logan Circle location will stay closed until further notice.

For the family of the man killed on a gym floor on an ordinary Thursday morning, no motive will ever be enough of an answer. Liberty Bell Report will update this story as police release more information about the victims and the investigation.