The Washington DC shooting investigation took a grim turn after police found the suspected gunman dead inside his apartment. The discovery followed a tense standoff near VIDA Fitness in Logan Circle on November 12.
Authorities identified the suspect as 55-year-old Matt Wade Lambert, a physician. Police also shared details about his confrontation with officers and a possible motive behind the shooting.
Washington, DC shooting suspect found dead after seventh-floor apartment standoff
According to the Associated Press report published by WBAL-TV, Lambert barricaded himself inside his seventh-floor apartment after the shooting. Police negotiators contacted him by phone while officers secured the building.
Metropolitan Police Department interim Chief Jeffery Carroll said Lambert fired through his apartment door at officers on two occasions. Negotiators continued speaking with him for over an hour before hearing another gunshot.
Lambert then stopped responding. Officers entered the apartment and found him suffering from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Emergency responders subsequently confirmed that he was dead.
A fire also broke out inside the apartment during the standoff. According to Axios, police said Lambert broke a gas line connected to his fireplace and started the blaze. Building sprinklers helped contain the flames.
Police also recovered three firearms from Lambert’s apartment: a handgun, a shotgun, and a rifle. Carroll said investigators believe he used all three during the shooting.
Police identified the man killed inside VIDA Fitness as 46-year-old James Stuart, the manager of Lambert’s apartment building.
Authorities believe a long-running dispute between Lambert and his condominium association may have contributed to the shooting. Court records show that he filed a lawsuit over mold and moisture problems in his apartment.
The Logan Circle shooting also left four people injured. Police said Lambert fired at people below from his apartment balcony. Investigators have not determined whether he deliberately targeted those victims.
The discovery ends the search for the gunman, which began during the initial VIDA Fitness shooting reports. However, authorities continue examining the circumstances surrounding the attack and the dispute that preceded it.
