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| Messages written for gym employees, local businesses and emergency responders at the Logan Circle vigil on 12 November 2026. Photograph: Emma Ruby/The Washington Sun. |
Residents of Washington, DC, gathered in Logan Circle on Thursday evening, 12 November, to mourn a building manager killed in a shooting that wounded four other people and forced neighbours to flee or shelter indoors.
The vigil brought together approximately 50 people hours after gunfire broke out at and around VIDA Fitness, beneath the Metropole condominium building on 15th Street Northwest.
Police identified the man killed as James Stuart, 46, and named the suspected gunman as Matt Wade Lambert, 55, who lived in the building. Lambert was later found dead inside his flat following a standoff.
Speakers at the gathering called for action against gun violence and urged residents to pay attention when people around them appeared to need help.
“We have to get guns off our street. We have to look out for neighbors who are exhibiting warning signs and might be in distress.”
The appeal also emphasised collective responsibility for preventing violence.
“You know, this is going to take all of us to root out violence.”
Alongside the mourning, residents organised practical assistance for people affected by the attack. Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto said neighbours had opened their homes to residents displaced from the Metropole, while businesses offered help.
FOX 5 DC reported that some displaced residents were staying with relatives, friends or neighbours after the building was closed.
Vigil attendees also wrote messages for businesses and emergency responders who had helped during the shooting. The notes expressed support for gym employees and thanked those who sheltered people or responded to the emergency.
The Metropolitan Police Department said officers received reports of an active shooter at approximately 7.59am. They found five people with gunshot wounds in the area.
Stuart died at the scene. Ambulances transported the four surviving victims to hospitals. Police said one was critically injured, while the other three had injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
Investigators believe Lambert deliberately targeted Stuart, the building’s property manager. They have pointed to a longstanding dispute involving Lambert and the condominium’s management over conditions inside his flat.
According to FOX 5, which cited police and court documents, Lambert had complained about alleged mould, moisture and water damage. Those complaints form part of the background investigators are examining.
Al Jazeera English reported that people fled the gym before police and federal officers sealed off the area.
Accounts from inside the fitness centre described instructors helping people find shelter as the emergency unfolded.
A speaker discussing the gym’s response expressed distress over the attack and gratitude towards instructors who directed people into a laundry room.
“I'm just like absolutely devastated over today's events.”
The speaker said staff had played a role in protecting people and expressed relief that the shooting had not affected more people.
A separate eyewitness account corroborated the use of the laundry room as a shelter. Tinbete Ermyas, an NPR editor who was exercising at the gym, said he and others initially heard a loud bang before screams alerted them to the danger.
He said they escaped the gym floor through an emergency exit and sheltered in the laundry room for approximately 20 minutes until police escorted them out.
Businesses nearby also took in people fleeing the scene. Workers at Call Your Mother Deli described helping people enter the shop after hearing gunfire, while other residents sought shelter elsewhere in the neighbourhood.
The Washington Sun reported that people remained inside a nearby Whole Foods for hours, where employees distributed water and snacks.
In its official update, police said tactical officers entered Lambert’s flat and found him dead. Officers recovered three firearms, which the department said had all been used during the shooting.
Police also said no firearms were registered to Lambert in the District of Columbia.
The department said the investigation remained open and urged anyone with information to contact investigators.