By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
WASHINGTON — At least five people were shot Thursday, Nov. 12, near a fitness center in Washington, D.C.’s Logan Circle neighborhood, where police surrounded a nearby residential building after identifying a suspect believed to be barricaded inside.
The shooting occurred shortly after 8 a.m. near the intersection of 15th and P streets NW, approximately one mile north of the White House. Metropolitan Police Department officers established a security perimeter around the 1500 block of 15th Street as tactical teams responded to reports of a gunman inside an apartment building.
According to The Associated Press, five people were shot at multiple locations in the neighborhood, including at least one victim inside VIDA Fitness. A witness reported that a man was fatally shot in the neck at the gym, although police had not immediately confirmed the fatality.
James Spellman, who was exercising at the fitness center when the violence began, said approximately 50 people were inside the building when gunfire erupted.
“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. He had been shot in the neck.”
Spellman said he heard approximately two gunshots inside the fitness center before fleeing with other gym members. He subsequently heard another five or six shots outside along 15th Street.
The gunfire triggered a large emergency response involving Metropolitan Police officers, SWAT personnel and federal law enforcement agencies.
Police confirmed that a suspect was barricaded near the initial shooting location. According to NBC News reporting cited by Anadolu Agency, federal authorities believed the gunman had entered an apartment above the fitness center.
Law enforcement officials said the suspect had been identified, but authorities had not publicly released the person’s name or disclosed a possible motive.
The Washington Post reported that officers wearing tactical equipment were positioned on the roof of the Metropole condominium building on 15th Street NW, where investigators believed the suspect was barricaded. Video circulating from the scene appeared to show smoke emerging from an upper floor.
A building manager told the newspaper that she was attempting to help residents evacuate after fire alarms sounded when she encountered a woman who had been shot in the mouth.
“I was trying to get my residents safe, but when I turned back, there was a lady that was on the ground that had been shot in the mouth,” the manager said.
The manager said she had heard reports that the shooter was on the roof but could not confirm the suspect’s location.
Other witnesses described hearing several gunshots before emergency vehicles flooded the surrounding streets.
Ryan Dubicki, who lives near the scene, told the Associated Press he heard approximately five loud bangs shortly after 8 a.m.
“They were really spread out so I thought it was construction,” Dubicki said.
He said he subsequently looked outside and saw a large police presence. His apartment management also distributed a warning about a possible active shooter.
Authorities urged residents and pedestrians to avoid the area as officers closed surrounding streets and restricted access to nearby buildings.
Several District of Columbia public schools were placed on alert or lockdown status as a precaution, temporarily preventing students and staff from entering or leaving affected buildings.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives confirmed that agents were assisting local police, while the FBI’s Washington field office also deployed personnel to support the investigation.
Additional federal officers, including members of the U.S. Secret Service and National Park Police, assisted with securing the surrounding area.
The shooting occurred in one of Washington’s busiest residential and commercial neighborhoods, near restaurants, apartment buildings, a Whole Foods supermarket and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.
The incident also comes amid heightened attention to violent crime in the nation’s capital following President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard personnel to Washington in 2025. The federal deployment remained in place at the time of Thursday’s shooting.
Officials had not immediately disclosed the victims’ identities, their complete medical conditions or whether the shootings were connected to a specific dispute.
Police also had not confirmed whether the suspect possessed additional weapons or whether anyone else was involved.
As of the initial Thursday morning reports, the suspect remained the focus of an active barricade operation, with tactical officers working to secure the building and protect nearby residents.
The investigation remained underway as authorities sought to determine the circumstances surrounding the shootings and establish a confirmed casualty count.
Original article
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