Logan Circle Shooting in Washington, D.C. Leaves Multiple Injured and Dead

Washington, D.C. Police Respond to Active Shooter Situation

A gunman is dead after allegedly shooting five people, killing one, in a busy thoroughfare in the centre of Washington, DC, on Thursday morning. The incident occurred at approximately 8am local time during a busy rush hour commute.

According to eyewitness James Spellman, who witnessed the attack, the gunman entered a gym in Logan Circle, a trendy neighbourhood near foreign embassies and fashionable restaurants, about 1.6km (one mile) north of the White House. Spellman reported that there were approximately 50 people in the gym at the time of the incident.

Law enforcement responded swiftly to the scene, with personnel from the Metropolitan Police Department, the city’s law enforcement agency, as well as federal agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Secret Service. Authorities issued alerts to people in the area warning them to shelter inside due to an “active shooter” situation.

The suspect, identified as a white male wearing a grey shirt, opened fire inside the gym before exiting the building and entering another adjacent building, where he barricaded himself inside a room on the seventh floor. Police negotiators attempted to communicate with the suspect over the phone, while snipers kept watch from nearby rooftops.

After approximately an hour of negotiations, police breached the room where the suspect was holed up and found him with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The suspect, identified as physician Matt Lambert, was pronounced dead at the scene.

One person had died in the incident, and another was in critical condition in the hospital. Authorities have not released further information about the victims or the suspect’s motives.

The incident has drawn attention to the administration of law and order in Washington, D.C., which has been a topic of national debate under President Donald Trump’s administration.

Source: Al Jazeera