Five people were shot, one of whom died, when a gunman opened fire Thursday morning in and outside a gym in the Logan Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C., police said.
The suspect barricaded himself in a unit believed to be his in a building above Vida Fitness on Logan Circle before killing himself, Jeffery Carroll, acting police chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, said at a news conference Thursday morning. Police later confirmed the suspect died at the scene.
Carroll said there were five victims, not including the shooter. One has died, another is in critical condition and three have non-life-threatening injuries. The injured victims were transported to area hospitals, Carroll said.
Victims found in several places
Carroll said police received a call about the shooting just before 8 a.m. and authorities responded within 30 seconds.
The person killed was shot in the gymnasium. Other victims included members of a construction crew across the street and a person in the lobby or alley outside the gym, Carroll said. The suspect allegedly used a handgun, Carroll said.
CBS News national security correspondent Nicole Sganga said it appears the suspect opened fire inside and outside Vida Fitness, then retreated to a parking lot and went up into the building before barricading himself in a unit on the seventh floor.
A fire also broke out inside the building at some point during the incident, Carroll said. He said the sprinklers went off and the fire was brought under control. He added that police don’t “know for sure” who set the fire, but that authorities would “kind of expect” that to be the suspect.
Gunshots continued to be heard for almost two hours as Metropolitan Police officers negotiated with the suspect. Carroll said the suspect fired twice through the apartment door at police. While on the phone with negotiators, the suspect shot himself, Carroll said.
After hearing the gunshot, officers forced their way into the apartment, where they found the suspect suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Carroll did not say where the suspect killed himself.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images 
Police say suspect had conflict with homeowners association
The suspect is a white man, according to Carroll. He said police knew the man’s identity but had not shared it publicly.
The man is believed to be a member of the gym, Carroll said.
Carroll said an investigation into the suspect’s motives was ongoing, but said police were aware he had a conflict with the building’s homeowners association.
Jonathan Csapo told CBS News that the suspected shooter was his upstairs neighbor. Csapo said he didn’t interact much with the suspect, but knew he was “very unhappy with the management of the building,” who he said was “not talking enough about action” regarding a water problem in his apartment. The suspect filed a complaint against X and filed a lawsuit against the building, Csapo said. He also complained at board meetings, becoming “a little more upset” at two recent meetings, Csapo said.
“He invited everyone to his unit to look at the damage,” Csapo said. “He wanted people to know what was going on. He wanted more attention, and he was getting more and more frustrated that people weren’t listening to him.”
Csapo said he evacuated the building through a fire exit after hearing the fire alarm go off. Then he heard gunshots. He and others took shelter on the street corner, he said. He said he was shocked that the building, which he described as safe and tight-knit, was at the center of a mass shooting.
“Everyone knows each other. The building only has 99 units. Everyone says hello to each other in the hallway,” Csapo said. “We’re just a small neighborhood and we’re all, I think, pretty shocked.”
Several agencies respond
The shooting took place about a mile north of the White House. Several federal agencies responded due to their proximity to the incident, officials said.
Streets were closed and residents were asked to avoid the area. A shelter-in-place order has been issued.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms said its Washington office was on scene and assisting. The Federal Bureau of Investigation said its Washington field office is also assisting the MPD.
The Secret Service, US Marshals and US Park Police also responded to the scene. No Secret Service protégés are involved. The agency and the FBI responded because of their proximity to the incident, not because of any connection to the White House.
Vida Fitness sent an email to its members Thursday morning to inform them that its Logan Circle location would be closed until further notice.
Witnesses describe “horrible” scene
Witness Jennifer Christine said she was on a treadmill in the gym when she heard gunshots. She said she witnessed a death inside the gym before leaving the building and taking refuge at a local bagel shop.
“There was no way to get out of the gym other than to go through that stage,” Christine told reporters. “It was like chaos. It was horrible, honestly.”
Another witness told reporters he was also on a treadmill when he heard a loud bang. He first thought the sound was that of a bullet exploding or something falling to the ground. Then he saw blood on the ground. An alarm went off and the gym was evacuated, he said. The witness said he and other gym participants ran outside, where police were already gathered. Then more shots were fired.
“We all started running and people were scattering everywhere,” the witness said.
Witness Max Smith told media he heard several gunshots around 8:30 a.m. He said he and about 10 other bystanders also took shelter in the bagel shop.
“I’m very shaken,” Smith said. “You know, you don’t expect it.”
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