The attack began around 8 a.m. when the suspect entered the Vida Fitness location on the 1500 block of 15th Street NW and shot a gym member, according to police and witness accounts. Interim Metropolitan Police Chief Jeffrey Carroll said one person died at the gym and four others were injured in the area of 15th and P Streets NW.

The four wounded victims were taken to hospitals. Carroll said one was in critical condition and the other three had injuries that were not life-threatening. The identity of the person who died had not been released.

Witness James Spellman, who was at the gym, told The Associated Press there were about 50 people there when the shooting started. "Within seconds there was a man who fell to the ground, and a pool of blood came out," Spellman said. "One gym member rushed to help him. He was instantly dead."

Jennifer Christy, who was on a treadmill when she heard gunshots, said she initially thought a machine had malfunctioned. She described a chaotic evacuation in which the only exit route passed the victim. "It was actually horrific," she told NBC Washington. "There was no way of getting out of the gym other than going past the scene."

After fleeing the gym, the gunman fired shots on the street before people scattered, according to a person familiar with the matter. Several people took shelter at a nearby deli. Oscar Vasquez, a manager at the Call Your Mother location, said fire alarms went off and that he heard "really loud, aggressive gunshots" as people ran inside.

Police said the suspect, described as a white male, was found on the seventh floor of a residential building near the gym suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Carroll said at a news conference that the shooter was "contained," but moments after the briefing ended, two federal law enforcement sources and a law enforcement official confirmed the suspect had been pronounced dead.

Asked about a motive, Carroll said the investigation was in its early stages but that the suspect had "some sort of conflict" with the homeowners association of the building. "At this point we're continuing to look into that," he added.

The 1500 block of 15th Street includes the fitness center, St. Luke's Episcopal Church and residences, and sits around the corner from a Whole Foods supermarket. Much of the block was cordoned off, schools near the scene were placed on lockdown, and streets were blocked during a large police response. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it sent agents to assist.

Vida Fitness said in a social media post that its Logan Circle location would remain closed until further notice. "The safety and well-being of our members, guests, and team are our highest priorities," the company said, urging people to avoid the area and follow law enforcement instructions.

The shooting occurred in a neighborhood still shaped by a federal intervention. In early August 2025, a onetime member of President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency was assaulted in Logan Circle by a group of teenagers attempting to carjack him and a woman. Days later, Trump bypassed local authority and imposed direct federal control over the city, deploying hundreds of National Guard members to reduce crime. That deployment continues.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.