Five shot in Washington DC, ‘active shooter’ barricaded inside building

In the early hours of Thursday morning, a shooting incident occurred in Logan Circle, a neighborhood situated roughly one mile north of the White House in Washington DC. Multiple individuals were shot during the incident, causing local police to issue warnings for residents to stay indoors. A barricade situation was reported in the 1500 block of 15th Street Northwest, with police urging people to avoid the area until the situation was resolved.

A manager from Vida Fitness, located in the vicinity of the shooting, stated that shots were fired outside the gym. The business remained under lockdown as of 9am local time on Thursday, and police were present inside the building. The manager expressed safety in having police present, and the gym would remain closed for the remainder of the day.

Several schools in the area were placed on lockdown due to the shooting. A witness, James Spellman, who was at the gym a little after 8am, recounted hearing shots being fired. At that moment, there were approximately 50 people present in the gym. Spellman recounted that within seconds, a man fell to the ground, followed by a pool of blood.

He noted that a gym member rushed to help the victim, who was subsequently found dead with a neck wound from a gunshot. Spellman and others immediately fled the gym, hearing additional gunfire in the area of 15th Street.

Witness Ryan Dubicki recounted hearing about five gunshots around 8 am while in his nearby apartment. He initially thought the sounds were from construction, but upon looking out, he saw numerous police officers. His apartment building managers sent an alert regarding a possible active shooter. Gun violence charity March for Our Lives shared updates on social media, reporting that at least five people were shot, surrounding blocks were locked down, and nearby schools were put on alert.

The shootings took place in Logan Circle, about 1 mile north of the White House, prompting police to issue warnings for residents to avoid the 1500 block of 15th Street, which includes the Vida Fitness center, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, and residences, as well as a nearby Whole Foods supermarket. Many of the surrounding blocks were cordoned off, and schools were placed on lockdown.