Gunman Dies After Shooting at VIDA Fitness in Logan Circle

A gunman died on Thursday morning after a shooting at a fitness center in Washington, D.C., that left one person dead and four others injured. The incident occurred at VIDA Fitness, located on 15th Street Northwest in the Logan Circle neighborhood, which sits approximately one mile north of the White House. Police confirmed the death of the suspect after he barricaded himself inside a nearby apartment building.

Jeffery W. Carroll, the interim police chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, briefed the public in the morning. He stated that the first emergency call was received at 8 a.m. from individuals inside the gym. Officers and emergency responders arrived on the scene within 30 seconds of the initial report. The police chief identified the gunman as a white male who had a prior conflict with the homeowners association of the apartment building where he later took shelter.

According to Carroll, the shooter killed one person inside the gym and injured another in the lobby or alley area of the building. Three additional victims were shot across the street at a construction site. One of the injured individuals remains in critical condition. The police chief said he believed the gunman was a member of the gym, although it is not yet clear if the shooter knew the victims personally. Further investigation is required to determine the exact nature of their connections.

After leaving the gym, the suspect entered an adjacent apartment building and barricaded himself inside. Police attempted to negotiate with him for about an hour. During that engagement, officers heard a gunshot. A police spokeswoman later confirmed that the gunman died from that shot. Carroll noted that a fire was started in the building, activating the sprinkler system, but the fire has since been contained.

Tinbete Ermyas, an editor at NPR, was working out at the gym when the shooting began. He said he and other patrons heard a very loud bang that shook the room. Many initially thought weights had been dropped, but the sound was too loud for that explanation. Screams followed shortly after, confirming it was a shooting. Ermyas and others ran through an emergency exit into a laundry room, where they hid for about 20 minutes until police escorted them out.

As they exited the building, Ermyas saw the body of the man who was shot inside. He described seeing a regular gym member lying in a pool of blood. Nearby residents described a massive law enforcement presence, including FBI agents and SWAT teams, arriving minutes after the gunshots. Emergency text messages ordered residents to shelter in place. That order was lifted at approximately 11:30 a.m.

Oscar Vazquez, the manager of Call Your Mother Deli, which is next to the gym, said he and his co-worker Cesar Miranda heard the fire alarm. They initially thought it was a standard alarm until they heard seven or eight gunshots. Vazquez said he tried to bring people into the deli as they fled the building. He noted that many of his customers live in the apartment building where the gunman barricaded himself. Miranda said the crowd in the area was shocked and afraid, with some people falling into patio chairs as they ran from the scene.