Doctor named as DC gym shooting suspect confessed, detailing dispute over living conditions, police say

Gunman killed one person and injured at least four others in and around condo building not far from the White House

More details were emerging on Friday about the previous morning’s shooting in north-west Washington DC, as a manager in the shooter’s residential building told how he was angry over living conditions there and confessed to the killings.

The gunman killed one person and injured at least four others on Thursday in and around the condominium building in the Logan Circle neighborhood of the capital, not far from the White House, where he lived.

Police identified the gunman as 55-year-old Matt Lambert, a doctor who had been involved in an ongoing legal dispute with his building’s management. The person killed was identified as James Stuart, 46, a manager at the condominium complex.

According to police, Lambert fatally shot Stuart inside a gym in his building just before 8am ET, before returning to his apartment, where he fired at four people from his balcony. Those victims were taken to hospital, and as of Thursday, one was in critical condition. Lambert then barricaded himself inside his unit, and was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Charelle Ferguson, another building manager, recalled speaking with Lambert by phone at around 9am that morning, around an hour after the shooting began, she said in an interview with the Washington Post.

Ferguson told the newspaper that she had been calling residents to check on their safety after shots were fired, when Lambert answered. During the conversation, she said that he told her that he was tired of mold and water damage in his apartment.

“The only way people will pay attention, you have to do something,” Ferguson said that he told her. She said that he then confessed over the phone to her to shooting the five people.

“I never thought he’d do something like this,” Ferguson told the Post. She also said that he had previously told her about the issues in his unit, and she said she had been sympathetic to his concerns.

Court records seen by the Guardian show that Lambert sued his condo association in 2025, alleging it had failed to address water damage, mold and moisture issues in his apartment, which he alleged began after exterior work was carried out on the building. The association denied allegations of negligence and denied responsibility for the damage, in court filings, and the litigation remained ongoing.

Lambert’s attorney in the civil matter, Joel Braithwaite, said at a news conference on Thursday that he was “deeply shocked” by what happened and that he had last spoken with his client on Tuesday and said that he had sounded fine.

“I can’t tell you how surprised I am because the person I knew as a client is someone who is in the business of healing people,” Braithwaite said.

On Thursday evening, residents gathered at a vigil in the neighborhood, lighting candles and showing support for those affected by the shooting.