
One person has died and four others have been injured in a shooting in a Washington neighborhood, just about a mile from the White House.
The incident occurred Thursday morning, local time, inside a gym located in an apartment complex in the Logan Circle area. Among the injured, one person is in critical condition, while the other three have injuries that are not life-threatening.
After the shooting, the suspected perpetrator locked himself in one of the building's apartments, 'barricading himself' inside.
According to Metropolitan Police Chief Jeffery Carroll, during the confrontation he fired at officers at least twice, opening fire through the apartment door.
Police negotiators had established telephone contact with him, but communication was cut off after they heard a gunshot. When police forces intervened inside, they found the suspect dead, with a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Investigators are trying to reconstruct the entire dynamics of the event, determine the perpetrator's motive and the circumstances that led to the violent clash.
According to Carroll, it is suspected that there was a conflict between the gunman and the management of the apartment complex, but no further details have been provided so far.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bouser called the incident a senseless act of gun violence and confirmed that the White House had been informed of the incident. Witnesses described moments of panic as the fire alarm was first activated and then they heard gunshots.
A resident of the building said he saw smoke and gunfire before running for cover behind a nearby structure. Another witness, who was in the gym when the attack began, said he initially thought the noise was caused by an incident at the gym until he saw an injured person on the floor.