Logan Circle Vigil Honors Shooting Victims and Neighbors Who Helped

Residents gathered with candles in Logan Circle on November 12, sharing stories and writing notes of thanks to first responders, neighbors and local businesses after a deadly shooting at VIDA Fitness. Some letters were addressed to people who had offered help during the crisis.

Neighbors described helping one another get back into their homes after residents fled without key fobs. Others thanked police for arriving quickly. Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto said residents had opened their homes to people displaced when the Metropole condominium building was shut down, while businesses gave away items. Many displaced residents were staying with relatives, friends or neighbors.

The shooting began around 8 a.m. inside the gym, beneath the condominium. Police said 55-year-old doctor Matt Lambert fatally shot the building’s property manager, 46-year-old James Stuart, amid a longstanding dispute over alleged mold, moisture and water damage in Lambert’s unit. Lambert then fired from his seventh-floor condo patio, injuring four people; one was in critical condition and three had non-life-threatening injuries.

Police reached the scene 30 seconds after the first emergency call. Police said Lambert sealed himself inside his apartment, shot at officers and started a fire. Negotiators spent over an hour attempting to contact him before officers heard a gunshot. Tactical officers entered and found Lambert dead from what appeared to be a gunshot he had inflicted on himself. Police found three firearms inside the apartment.