Mold dispute emerges as key focus in deadly DC shooting spree near White House, police say

Washington, D.C., police have identified the gunman who fatally shot his building manager and wounded four others about a mile from the White House Thursday morning amid an ongoing legal dispute with his condo association over property upkeep and mold.

The suspect, identified as Dr. Matt Wade Lambert, 55, of Northwest Washington, D.C., was found dead in his apartment following a standoff with police, according to Metropolitan Police Department Interim Chief Jeffery W. Carroll.

Two men and two women were wounded during the shooting, which took place across multiple locations. One of the wounded victims remains in critical condition.

A fifth victim, identified as building manager James Stewart, 46, of Northwest D.C., was shot inside the gym and pronounced dead at the scene.

MATT LAMBERT, DC DOCTOR, IDENTIFIED AS GUNMAN IN DEADLY ATTACK AFTER HOA FEUD

The shooting was reported just before 8 a.m. inside the Vita Fitness gym, a local fitness chain with a location in Logan Circle. 

Police said Lambert opened fire with a handgun inside the gym, fatally striking Stewart, the building manager.

After leaving the gym, officials said Lambert traveled up to his two-story seventh-floor apartment in the same building. From a private elevated patio overlooking 15th Street, Church Street and a rear alley, he used a rifle to fire down at street level, striking four pedestrians.

As officers made their way to the seventh floor, Lambert fired through his apartment door on two separate occasions; no officers were injured. 

Carroll said that during a subsequent standoff with MPD hostage negotiators, Lambert intentionally severed a natural gas line to a fireplace, had gasoline and other flammable liquids on hand, and sparked a fire with flames visible from the building's exterior. 

The building’s sprinkler system activated, and D.C. Fire and EMS personnel rushed in to shut off the main gas line to prevent an explosion.

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Negotiators established phone contact with Lambert, but mid-negotiation, officers heard a single gunshot and communications ceased. Tactical units breached the doorway and found Lambert dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Carroll said the shooting appeared to be tied to an ongoing dispute between Lambert, the condo homeowner’s association and building management over maintenance issues and mold, which had previously resulted in a civil lawsuit filed by Lambert. 

D.C. tax records show he purchased the condo in September 2016 for $1,095,000.

MPD negotiators noted that Lambert's conversations during the barricade centered almost entirely on his grievances with the HOA.

Investigators recovered three guns inside Lambert’s apartment: a handgun, a rifle and a shotgun — all of which had been discharged. 

Carroll confirmed Lambert had no registered guns in Washington, D.C., and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is assisting in tracing the origins of the weapons.

Due to the active shooter and barricade reports, a massive, coordinated response flooded the neighborhood, featuring MPD Special Operations and Emergency Response Teams, D.C. Fire and EMS, the ATF, the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Park Police, and Metro Transit Police.

D.C. resident and witness, Hector, said he was walking from his office near 15th and P streets to a Starbucks when he heard what sounded like gunshots.

"It was like boom, boom, boom, like maybe two or three," Hector said. 

He looked up and saw people in gym clothes running east toward 14th Street. As he continued toward the Starbucks, more people ran past him.

Inside, police officers told everyone to "get ourselves inside and stay locked in," Hector said. He remained there with Starbucks employees and customers for about three hours. He later learned that a woman inside the building had seen the gunman. She was brought to the kitchen area for her safety and "was a little traumatized," Hector added.

After nearly eight years working in the neighborhood, Hector said he had never experienced anything like it. "For the most part, it’s a very safe neighborhood," he said. "Something like this is very random, not something you hear all the time or happens all the time."

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who joined Carroll at a news conference earlier in the day, described the incident as a "senseless act of gun violence."

"We're devastated. Someone was killed in our city this morning in a senseless act of gun violence," Bowser told reporters. "I know many D.C. residents were awakened to this news, and were very scared, and listened to all of the directives that MPD provided, so we're grateful to them as well. MPD will continue to investigate this situation."

Vida Fitness told Fox News the location will be shut down until further notice. 

"We are writing to inform you that VIDA Logan Circle is temporarily closed following a shooting that occurred earlier today," Vida's president Aaron Moore wrote in an alert to members. "… We will provide updates as more information becomes available and it is safe and appropriate to do so. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation during this difficult time."

Fox News' David Spunt contributed to this report. 

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