DC gym shooter waited an hour
Police say the suspect lay in ambush before killing the building manager and firing on neighbors.
By Mia Bennett ·
Residents of The Metropole condominium in Washington, D.C., now face water damage, missing utilities, and a search for essentials after a deadly shooting on Thursday morning. The building, located in the 1500 block of 15th Street in the Logan Circle neighborhood, is currently uninhabitable.
Police said 55-year-old Dr. Matt Lambert waited inside the VIDA Fitness center for nearly an hour before attacking. Surveillance video showed Lambert approaching 46-year-old building manager James Stuart from behind around 8 a.m. Lambert fired a high-powered rifle without speaking. The round passed through a television, a wall, and a window, killing Stuart. Interim Police Chief Jeffery W. Carroll stated investigators believe the attack was planned.
The shooting wound five other people. A woman near the gym suffered a non-life-threatening graze to her arm or elbow and self-treated the injury. Two victims remain hospitalized, including one in critical but stable condition. One of the hospitalized victims was in the alley behind the building. Two others were working at a construction site in the 1400 block of Church Street. A fifth victim was in the Church Street area when struck.
After the initial shooting, Lambert returned to his seventh-floor unit above the gym. He climbed to his patio and fired several rounds toward the street. He then barricaded himself inside the apartment and fired through the door at officers. Police did not return fire. During more than an hour of negotiation, Lambert focused his conversation on the homeowners association and condo association.
An early post on a social media account linked to Lambert read, "My manifesto is an engineering report." This appeared connected to a 20-month lawsuit he filed against The Metropole over water damage and mold. Officers heard a gunshot inside the unit and forced entry to find Lambert dead from a self-inflicted wound.
Investigators found multiple crime scenes across the building floors. They recovered shell casings on another level, several hundred rounds of ammunition, and an accelerant, either gasoline or kerosene, inside Lambert's unit. Sheetrock had been removed from the walls, and the gas line leading to the fireplace was damaged. Police reported no prior threats and are determining where Lambert purchased the firearms. Mayor Muriel Bowser said her heart breaks for everyone affected. Dozens of residents gathered in Logan Circle to light candles and leave notes of support.
