1 dead, 4 wounded in D.C. gym shooting near White House; suspect shot himself

By Sarah Roderick-Fitch
The Center Square

Multiple people have been shot, with one confirmed dead, in a mass shooting incident in Northwest Washington, D.C. Police said the suspect suffered a self-inflicted gunshot and also died.

The shootings occurred Thursday morning inside a gym, VIDA Fitness, near a trendy Logan Circle neighborhood apartment complex.

First responders confirmed during a news conference that one individual was shot and killed inside the gym, with four other patients transferred to hospitals. Three patients sustained non-life-threatening injuries, while one sustained serious injuries and is in critical condition.

Law enforcement says some of the victims were across the street working on a construction site, while another may have been in the lobby area of the apartment building or an alley.

Interim chief of the Metropolitan Police Department Jeffery Carroll said the suspect barricaded himself inside a unit, which law enforcement believe was his unit, and started a fire, which was put out by a sprinkler system.

Carroll confirmed the suspect had been communicating on the phone with law enforcement when they heard a single gunshot, at which time he stopped communicating.

Law enforcement says they know at least one handgun was involved. They believe the suspect had some “sort of conflict with the apartment building” or “homeowners association.”

While law enforcement doesn’t have identification of the suspect, they “have an idea who he is.”

The shooting, which occurred in the 1500 block of 15th Street, NW, just blocks from the White House, resulted in a shelter-in-place order.

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed that the White House had been briefed on the shooting.