Building manager killed, 4 others injured in D.C. shooting linked to condo dispute
Police have identified the suspect and the building manager killed in a Washington, D.C., shooting they believe was tied to a dispute with a condo association. Police believe the suspect shot four other people from his apartment balcony and tried to set the building on fire before fatally shooting himself.
Officers responded just before 8 a.m. Thursday to a shooting inside the VIDA gym in the 1500 block of 15th Street Northwest, Metropolitan Police Department Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll said at a briefing. The address is less than a mile north of the White House.
The building manager, 46-year-old James Stewart of Northwest Washington, was pronounced deceased inside the gym.
Police identified the suspect as Matt Wade Lambert, 55, who lived on the seventh floor of the same building.
Carroll said Lambert had filed a civil lawsuit over an ongoing dispute with the condo association and building management involving maintenance issues, including mold. Police believe the initial shooting was related to that dispute.
Video and other evidence showed the suspect left the ground-floor gym after shooting the victim and returned to his apartment. Authorities believe he then opened fire from his balcony, striking four people at street level on Church Street, on 15th Street and in an alley behind the building.
The shootings took place in less than five minutes, according to the interim police chief.
Two women and two men were taken to hospitals. One is believed to be in critical condition, and the other three appear to have injuries that are not life-threatening.
“At this point in time, we don’t know if there’s a relationship between those other four victims and the suspect,” Carroll said.
The suspect barricaded himself inside his apartment and fired through the door twice while officers were outside. No officers were injured.
During the standoff, the suspect started a fire, and flames were visible outside the building. Sprinklers helped contain the fire, and firefighters shut off gas to the building.
“While our negotiators were communicating with the suspect, they did hear a single gunshot, at which time the suspect stopped talking to the officers,” Carroll said. “Most of the conversation was about the homeowners association and challenges with that.”
A tactical team forced its way inside and found him with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene.
Police recovered a handgun, a rifle and a shotgun from the apartment. Carroll said none of the firearms were registered to the suspect in Washington, D.C.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
