A morning workout at a busy Washington, D.C., gym turned into a deadly shooting when a doctor allegedly walked in and killed the manager of his condominium building before opening fire on other people from his seventh-floor apartment. The gunman, identified as 55-year-old Matt Lambert, later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after barricading himself inside his apartment. The attack left one man dead and several others injured, sending shockwaves through the Logan Circle neighborhood.
The man killed was James Stuart, 46, a property manager who had worked for EJF Real Estate Services for 13 years. He was inside the VIDA Fitness gym when Lambert allegedly shot him shortly before 8 a.m. Thursday, November 12. Investigators believe Stuart was deliberately targeted because of a long-running dispute between Lambert and the management of the condominium building.
Stuart’s death has left his colleagues devastated. EJF Real Estate Services released a statement describing him as much more than an employee, saying he had become an important part of the company over the years.
“We are devastated. Jimmy was more than a colleague; he was part of the fabric of this company. Our hearts are with his family and everyone who loved him. We will honor Jimmy by caring for one another, friends and family,” company president Scott Burka said.
After shooting Stuart, Lambert reportedly returned to his seventh-floor condominium and began firing at people from his private balcony. Four people were initially reported wounded, including two men and two women. However, police later identified an additional woman who had also been injured, bringing the total number of shooting victims to six, including Stuart. One woman who was shot in the head remained in critical condition, while the other surviving victims had injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
Police said the initial shootings unfolded within roughly five minutes. Officers rushed to the scene and later surrounded Lambert’s apartment after he barricaded himself inside. During the standoff, he reportedly fired through his apartment door at officers. Negotiators also spoke with him by phone before officers heard a gunshot and lost contact with him.
When officers eventually entered the apartment, they found Lambert dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators recovered three firearms, including a handgun, rifle and shotgun. Authorities also discovered that a fire had been started inside the apartment after a gas line was damaged. The building’s sprinkler system helped contain the fire.
Investigators believe the violence was connected to Lambert’s ongoing disagreement with condominium management over alleged mold, moisture and water damage inside his apartment. Court records show that Lambert had filed a lawsuit over the condition of his home, claiming the problems had made the unit unlivable. The dispute had continued for months, with Lambert reportedly spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on legal and engineering expenses.
The shooting left residents shaken and brought a large police response to the normally busy Logan Circle area. Nearby streets were closed, residents were told to stay indoors, and schools in the area were temporarily placed on alert. Police later lifted the shelter-in-place order after the immediate threat ended.
For Stuart’s family, friends and colleagues, the tragedy means losing a man who had spent 13 years building relationships through his work. What began as an ordinary Thursday morning ended with a fatal attack that investigators believe grew out of a dispute over apartment maintenance.