One dead, four injured as gunman opens fire at Washington DC gym and on street near White House

One person was killed and four others were injured in a shooting in Washington DC, the US capital, at about 8 am on Thursday. The incident took place in the Logan Circle area, just a mile from the White House. Police cordoned off the entire area and placed nearby schools under lockdown.

The shooting happened at the popular VIDA Fitness gym near 15th and P Streets NW. According to eyewitnesses, a gunman suddenly entered the gym and fired at close range at the back and neck of a member who was working out. The young man fell bleeding and died on the spot. After shooting inside the gym, the attacker walked out of the building and fired indiscriminately on the street, wounding four more people.

About 50 people were exercising in the gym at the time. On hearing the loud noise, people first thought someone had dropped heavy weights. Within seconds, screams were heard, and when people realised shots had been fired, a stampede broke out in the gym.

A woman who was running on a treadmill said: "The sight was terrifying. I saw an injured man running out of the building to save his life. He had been shot, and there was no way out of the gym other than that side." She heard gunshots again while standing outside talking to a police officer. Several people fled through an emergency door into a nearby laundry room and kept themselves locked in for about 20 minutes.

After firing outside the gym, the suspected attacker hid in an apartment in a nearby seven-storey residential building. Washington DC police and a SWAT team reached the spot within 30 seconds of receiving the call and surrounded the entire building. From behind a closed door, the attacker fired twice at police and also tried to start a fire by breaking the apartment's gas pipeline.

Police negotiators spoke to the attacker for about an hour, trying to persuade him to surrender. Then another gunshot was heard from inside. Police broke down the door and went in to find the attacker lying in a pool of blood. He had shot himself dead. Police recovered three guns from the spot. According to the preliminary investigation, the attacker was a member of the same gym and was in a dispute with the building's homeowners association.

For safety, police evacuated and sealed the 1500 block of 15th Street. Besides VIDA Fitness, the area has St Luke's Episcopal Church, several residential buildings and a well-known Whole Foods supermarket. People were asked to avoid the area, and residents nearby were sent emergency alerts on their phones asking them to stay indoors. Lockdowns were imposed immediately at all schools in the area.

Special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the FBI were deployed to assist the local police. According to police, the four injured have been admitted to different hospitals. One is in critical condition, while the other three are stable. Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser strongly condemned the incident. The White House has been briefed on the entire incident.