A gunman opened fire inside a gym in Washington's Logan Circle neighborhood shortly before 8 a.m. on Thursday, November 12, killing one person and wounding four others, then barricaded himself inside his own seventh-floor apartment, fired through the door at police at least twice, and was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after officers forced their way in, city officials and a law enforcement official said. The shooting and standoff unfolded about a mile (1.6 km) northeast of the White House, in one of the capital's busiest residential neighborhoods, and shut down streets around 15th and P Streets NW for hours.
Source: Reuters
The Metropolitan Police Department said the attack began at the VIDA Fitness gym in Logan Circle. Multiple law enforcement sources told CNN the suspect shot one person inside the gym before leaving the facility, and police said the gunman then moved outside and continued firing in the surrounding area, including into a parking garage. Police have not identified the person who was killed or any of the wounded, and they have not identified the suspect. One of the four wounded people was in critical condition, Interim Police Chief Jeffery W. Carroll told a news conference.
Source: NBC / CNN reporting via NBC Palm Springs
Officers arrived within 30 seconds
The first officers reached the scene within 30 seconds of the initial call and discovered at least one victim — an adult man who had been shot, according to a source cited by ABC News. While officers were clearing a nearby residential building, they encountered gunfire coming from the seventh floor, where the suspect had holed up in his own apartment, Chief Carroll said. Police said the suspect fired through the apartment door at officers on at least two occasions during the standoff.
Negotiators spent approximately an hour trying to communicate with the man by phone and bring the situation to a peaceful end. A law enforcement official told Reuters the suspect complained about his building's homeowners association while speaking with negotiators. Police stressed that no motive has been established, and investigators are still working to determine why the shooting happened. Officials also said a fire was set inside the building at some point during the standoff; sprinklers went off, and the fire was contained and put out.
The standoff ended after officers heard a gunshot from inside the apartment while negotiators were talking with the suspect, and he stopped communicating. Officers forced entry and found the suspect suffering from a gunshot wound; multiple law enforcement officials confirmed he had died from what appeared to be a self-inflicted wound. No officer was reported injured.
A massive response in a busy neighborhood
The incident drew a large multi-agency response. The Metropolitan Police Department's Emergency Response Team was deployed, and the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, DC Fire and EMS, and Metro Transit Police were among the agencies that responded, according to local reporting. A U.S. official told ABC News that National Guard troops helped secure a perimeter around the area; no guardsmen were injured or engaged, the official said. Large numbers of officers in tactical gear flooded the neighborhood, shutting down streets and stationing officers with rifles on rooftops, Reuters reported.
A man who witnessed the incident told Reuters he heard gunshots and saw one man run to another who had apparently been struck by a bullet. “Blood was pouring immediately,” the witness said. “We didn't know if the gunman was still on the premises, so we just ran frantically.” He said he heard more gunshots after running away from the gym. Logan Circle is a densely populated, busy neighborhood of homes, shops and restaurants, and the area around the gym includes a Whole Foods supermarket and St. Luke's Episcopal Church.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser praised the swift law enforcement response to what she described as a “senseless act of gun violence,” and confirmed that the White House had been briefed on the shooting. Interim Chief Carroll gave updates alongside the mayor at a press briefing as the investigation continued through the day.
Gym closed, investigation continuing
VIDA Fitness temporarily closed its Logan Circle location. Company president Aaron Moore notified members that the facility would remain closed until further notice and urged people to avoid the gym and the surrounding area, saying the safety of members, guests and employees remained the company's priority and expressing concern for everyone affected by the incident.
Police have not released the names of the person killed, the four wounded people, or the suspect. One wounded person was in critical condition. No motive has been confirmed; the suspect's reported complaints about his homeowners association, described by a law enforcement official to Reuters, have not been presented by police as a motive. The investigation is continuing.
What happens next will be led by the Metropolitan Police Department's investigation: identifying the victims and notifying their families, establishing a timeline of the shootings inside the gym, outside and in the parking garage, and determining a motive. Because the suspect died at the scene, there will be no criminal trial; the public account of why this happened will depend on what investigators can establish from witnesses, building records and the negotiators' calls. Awaaz Punjab is publishing this as a normal USA-desk report — not a homepage hero — because the event, while major, is now several hours old and the immediate emergency has ended. This article does not depict the incident in its image, in line with the desk's rules for death and tragedy stories.