One dead, four injured after gunman opens fire in Washington DC

The Australian embassy in Washington DC was in lockdown on Thursday (US time) after a gunman killed a man at a nearby gym and shot four others before barricading himself in an apartment.

The shooting took place at about 8am in and around Vida Fitness in the trendy Logan Circle neighbourhood, just north of the city centre.

Emergency services at the scene.AP Photo/Julia Demaree NikhinsonAfter shooting the man inside the gym, the gunman left the premises and shot four other people at a nearby construction site and in the lobby of the apartment building above the gym, police said.

He then barricaded himself inside a unit on the seventh floor, believed to be his home. At one point a small fire broke out in the building and was contained.

Police said the man later shot himself during negotiations, and died from his injuries.

Jeffery Carroll, the intern chief of DC Metro police, said the gunman was involved in a conflict with his building management.

“We do know there was a conflict between him and the homeowners association of that building,” Carroll said. “We’re continuing to look into that.”

Police said the shooter had barricaded themselves inside a building.AP Photo/Julia Demaree NikhinsonAdvertisementMuch of the block around the shooting site was cordoned off by police tape on Thursday morning (US time). Schools near the scene were placed on lockdown.

Staff at the nearby Australian embassy on 16th Street were also ordered to shelter in place. The lockdown was later lifted.

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said the White House had been briefed. The shootings occurred about 1.5km north of the White House.

James Spellman was at the gym a little after 8am (midnight AEDT) when he heard shots being fired. He said there were about 50 people in the gym at the time.

“Within seconds there was a man who fell to the ground, and a pool of blood came out,” he said. “One gym member rushed to help him. He was instantly dead. He had been shot in the neck.”

Spellman said he and other gym members ran out of the gym, and he said he heard more gunfire in the area of 15th Street. He said he heard about two shots fired in the gym and about five or six fired outside.

Witness Ryan Dubicki was in his nearby apartment around 8am when, he said, he “heard about five bangs”.

“They were really spread out so I thought it was construction,” he said. It was only a short time later that he looked out “and there were cops everywhere”.

Vida Fitness emailed members to say the Logan Circle location was closed until further notice.

“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this incident. We understand that this news may be deeply concerning to our VIDA community,” the gym said.

Support is available from Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 and Lifeline on 13 11 14.

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