One Killed, Four Wounded in Logan Circle Gym Shooting a Mile From the White House; Gunman Dead

One person is dead and four are wounded after a gunman opened fire at a gym in Washington's Logan Circle neighborhood this morning, Thursday, Nov. 12. The suspect is also dead, by his own hand, police say.

The first call came in just before 8 a.m. from people inside VIDA Fitness, according to Metropolitan Police Department interim chief Jeffery Carroll. Officers were on scene within 30 seconds, he said. The neighborhood sits about a mile north of the White House.

What police say happened

Responding officers found one adult man shot dead inside the gym. Carroll said four others were wounded: one is in critical condition and three have non-life-threatening injuries. All were taken to area hospitals.

The shooting did not stay inside the gym. Carroll said the other victims included members of a construction crew across the street and a person in the lobby or alley outside the gym. He said the suspect is believed to have used a handgun.

A law enforcement official, speaking anonymously to the Associated Press, said investigators believe the man shot at least one person inside the gym, went outside and fired again, then shot another person in a parking garage elevator. From there he went up to a seventh-floor unit in the apartment building above the gym, the official said.

Gym member James Spellman said about 50 people were inside when the shooting began. He described hearing roughly two shots in the gym and five or six outside. "Within seconds there was a man who fell to the ground," Spellman said. He said a fellow member rushed to help the victim, who had been shot in the neck and died almost instantly.

The standoff

Carroll said the man barricaded himself in a unit police believe was his own. He fired through the apartment door at officers on two occasions, Carroll said.

Negotiators spent roughly an hour on the phone with him. While they were talking, officers heard a gunshot. They forced entry and found him with a self-inflicted wound. Police later confirmed he was pronounced dead at the scene.

A fire was also set inside the building at some point. Sprinklers went off and the fire is contained, Carroll said. He told reporters police don't "know for sure" who set it but "would kind of expect" it was the suspect.

Carroll said the suspect is a white man and that police know his identity but have not released it. He said the man is believed to have been a member of the gym.

Motive still under investigation

Carroll said police are aware the man had a conflict with the homeowners association of the building where he lived. He said the investigation into motive is ongoing. It is also unclear whether the suspect knew any of his victims, Carroll said.

One neighbor offered more detail. Jonathan Csapo told CBS News the suspect lived upstairs from him. Csapo said the man was "very disgruntled with the building's management" over a water problem in his apartment and that management "weren't taking sufficient action." Csapo said the man aired complaints on X, had filed a lawsuit against the building and raised the issue at board meetings. Police have not confirmed those details, and nothing released so far establishes a link between any dispute and the choice of victims.

The response

Police told residents and visitors to avoid the 1500 block of 15th Street, which includes the gym, St. Luke's Episcopal Church, residences and a nearby Whole Foods. Schools in the area were locked down. Residents received emergency texts to shelter in place, and that order was lifted around 11:30 a.m. MPD was still asking the public to avoid the area as the investigation continued.

The ATF sent agents to help, and the FBI's Washington field office is assisting MPD with the investigation. The D.C. mayor said the White House has been briefed. The Justice Department's Office for Victims of Crime has set up a resource website for victims and witnesses.

NPR editor Tinbete Ermyas was working out when the shooting started. He said gym-goers heard "a very loud bang" and then screams. He and others escaped through an emergency exit into a laundry room, hid for about 20 minutes, and were escorted out by police. On the way out, he said, they passed the victim's body. "A guy that goes to the gym regularly," Ermyas said. "I see him every morning."

The gym is closed until further notice. Still to come: the names of the dead and wounded, the suspect's identity, and any police finding on whether the building dispute explains why he fired at people at the gym and across the street. MPD has not said when it will release that information.