Police found the suspected gunman with a gunshot wound inside a seventh-floor apartment where he had barricaded himself, Interim Chief Jeffery W. Carroll said Thursday. The suspect was pronounced dead, and the wound appeared to be self-inflicted, Carroll said.
Negotiators had been communicating with the suspect from outside the apartment. Officers entered after hearing a gunshot inside, authorities said. Police said the suspect had apparently been in a dispute with the apartment building’s homeowners association.
Five people were shot, Carroll said. One died, and four were taken to hospitals. One of the injured victims was in critical condition; the other three had injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
The shooting unfolded early Thursday in Washington, D.C.’s Logan Circle neighborhood, about a mile north of the White House. Police responded to multiple locations as they investigated reports of an active shooter.
James Spellman told the Associated Press he was at a gym shortly after 8 a.m. when he heard gunfire. A man fell to the floor, Spellman said, and a pool of blood spread around him. Another gym member rushed to help, but the man had been shot in the neck and died at the scene.
Spellman and others ran from the gym. He said he heard more shots near 15th Street, estimating that two had been fired inside the gym and five or six outside.
The suspected gunman was reported to be barricaded on an upper floor of an apartment building near Logan Circle. Police initially said he was not in custody and had not yet been identified.
Authorities ordered people to shelter in place around the 1500 block of 15th Street NW, closed off much of the block, and urged the public to stay away. The area includes homes, a fitness center and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, and is near a Whole Foods supermarket.
A D.C. Public Schools spokesperson said nearby schools were on alert, meaning people could not enter or leave, while normal activities continued inside.
Numerous police and emergency vehicles responded, including officers in tactical gear. Federal and local agencies, along with the National Guard, were also at the scene. Several ambulance buses arrived at about 8:45 a.m.
