A deadly shooting inside a Washington gym left at least one person dead after gunfire erupted in the Logan Circle area. Police cordoned off streets, placed nearby schools under lockdown and launched a search for the suspect.

BY PC BUREAU

November 12: A major police operation was launched in Washington, DC, on Thursday morning after multiple shootings left five people wounded in the upscale Logan Circle neighbourhood, barely a mile from the White House. Police cordoned off several streets as a suspect reportedly barricaded himself nearby, prompting a response from SWAT teams.

At least one of the victims was shot inside a gym and died at the scene, according to a witness. The Metropolitan Police Department said officers were responding to multiple shooting locations in the area.

The shootings were reported around the 1500 block of 15th Street, which includes a VIDA Fitness centre, St Luke’s Episcopal Church and several residential buildings. The area is also close to a Whole Foods supermarket.

Washington  Police urged residents and visitors to stay away from the area. Several nearby schools were placed under lockdown as officers secured the neighbourhood.

READ: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Steps Down Amid Spy Scandal; CFO Colette Kress Named Interim Chief

SWAT teams were seen moving towards an upper floor of a nearby apartment building as they responded to the suspect, who police said had barricaded himself in the vicinity of the initial shooting.

NOW – Police seen swarming apartment complex that alleged gunman is reportedly located in Logan Circle neighborhood of Washington DC after 1 killed and 5 shot at VIDA Fitness. Suspect described as heavy set white male. https://t.co/tdkAkck4Mz

— Confidential Post (@C_Post_News) November 12, 2026

James Spellman, who was inside the gym shortly after 8 am, said he heard gunfire while around 50 people were present.

“Within seconds there was a man who fell to the ground, and a pool of blood came out,” he said.

Spellman said another gym member rushed to help the victim, who had been shot in the neck.

“He was instantly dead,” he said.

Spellman and other gym members fled the premises. He said he subsequently heard more gunfire on 15th Street, estimating that two shots had been fired inside the gym and another five or six outside.

Washington  Police blocked several surrounding streets as the emergency response intensified. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives dispatched agents to assist, while the FBI’s Washington field office said it was supporting local authorities in the investigation.

Ryan Dubicki, who lives in an apartment building nearby, said he heard several loud bangs at around 8 am.

“They were really spread out so I thought it was construction,” he said.

He realised something was wrong when he looked outside and saw a large police presence. Building management subsequently issued a notice warning residents of a possible active shooter.

Logan Circle Has Seen Violence Before

The latest shooting comes against the backdrop of previous violence in the Logan Circle neighbourhood.

In early August 2025, a former member of President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency was assaulted by a group of teenagers in the same area of Washington . The attackers allegedly attempted to carjack him and a woman accompanying him early on a Sunday morning.

Days later, Trump acted on his threat to bypass local authorities and impose direct federal control over Washington’s policing, deploying hundreds of National Guard personnel to the capital as part of an effort to tackle crime.

That deployment remains in place.