Five shot, one fatally, in Washington's Logan Circle; suspect kills himself

Police chief says gunman apparently had a dispute with a homeowners association

Five people were shot, one of them fatally, on Thursday in Logan Circle, a Washington neighborhood about a mile north of the White House, and the suspected gunman later shot and killed himself as officers converged on the apartment building where he had barricaded, police said.

One victim died in the initial shooting, said Jeffrey Carroll, interim chief of the Metropolitan Police Department. Carroll said the suspect then shot himself while barricaded inside an apartment, and added that the man apparently had a dispute with the building’s homeowners association. The suspect’s death was confirmed by a law enforcement official who was not authorized to publicly discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The shootings were reported in Logan Circle. Police cordoned off much of the block on 15th Street, urging people to avoid the area, which includes a VIDA fitness center, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, residences and a Whole Foods supermarket. Schools were placed on lockdown.

Authorities believe the suspect shot at least one person inside the gym before going outside and firing again, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The official said law enforcement agents believe the suspect shot another person in a parking garage elevator before barricading himself on the seventh floor of the building.

SWAT teams and other officers had their guns drawn on the roof of the apartment building or on the ground below as the response continued.

Witness James Spellman, who was at the gym, said there were about 50 people there around 8 a.m. when the shooting began. “Within seconds there was a man who fell to the ground, and a pool of blood came out,” he said. “One gym member rushed to help him. He was instantly dead. He had been shot in the neck.”

Spellman said he and others dashed out of the gym. He said he heard about two shots fired in the gym and about five or six fired outside.

Another witness, Ryan Dubicki, said he was in his nearby apartment around the same time when he “heard about five bangs.” “They were really spread out so I thought it was construction,” he said. A short time later, he said, “there were cops everywhere.”

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it sent agents to the scene to help, and the FBI said its Washington field office was helping local police with the investigation.

The neighborhood has seen violence before. In early August 2025, a onetime member of President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency was assaulted early on a Sunday morning in Logan Circle by a group of teenagers attempting to carjack him and a woman, authorities said. Days later, Trump imposed direct federal control over the city, sending in hundreds of National Guard members to reduce crime — a deployment that continues today.