‘It’s like surreal:’ DC gym shooting witness describes moments after gunfire erupted
WASHINGTON, DC: Witnesses have described the chaos inside and around a Washington, DC, gym after a gunman fatally shot building manager James Stuart before opening fire on four other people in the Logan Circle neighborhood on Thursday, November 12.
Anthony Mirones was exercising on a treadmill at VIDA Fitness when he heard a loud bang. Initially mistaking the sound for something falling or a ball bursting, he moved towards the commotion and saw a man lying motionless on the floor.
“I hear a loud bang. And I'm thinking like a bouncy ball popped or a painting fell on the floor,” Mirones told the Associated Press.
DC gym witness recalls seeing shooting victim lying motionless
Mirones said he noticed blood on the floor and began to realise that the sound was likely a gunshot. People inside the gym were trying to understand what had happened when a fire alarm went off approximately two minutes later, prompting members to evacuate.
He said he was on the cardio floor and could see the area where the victim was lying, although treadmills obstructed his view.
He recalled hearing someone tell another person that the man was dead. When he looked towards the victim, he noticed that he was not moving.
“I just see someone laying at first and someone said he's dead,” Mirones said, adding that other gym members had to walk around the motionless man.
As people gathered outside the gym, police officers rushed into the building. Mirones initially assumed the shooter had fled the scene.
He also told the outlet that he heard more gunfire after officers entered the gym, saying the shots appeared to come from outside, roughly a street away.
Woman takes shelter after hearing gunfire in Logan Circle
Traniece Johnson was walking to work when she noticed people gathered outside VIDA Fitness and several police vehicles arriving.
She initially continued walking because she did not know what had happened. However, as she reached Church Street, she heard additional gunshots and decided to take shelter inside a nearby apartment building.
“I ended up just like ducking into this apartment complex or apartment building that's on Church Street. And luckily some of the residents let me in,” Johnson told the AP.
She said she remained inside the building as the situation unfolded.
What happened in the Washington, DC, gym shooting?
Police said the gunman killed Stuart inside the gym before fleeing and shooting four other people. The suspect was later identified as Dr. Matt Wade Lambert, 55.
According to Interim Police Chief Jeffery Carroll, Lambert eventually shot himself inside a seventh-floor apartment after speaking with police negotiators by phone.
The shootings occurred around 8 a.m. in Logan Circle, approximately a mile north of the White House. Police cordoned off much of the area around 15th Street Northwest, while SWAT teams and other officers responded to the scene. Nearby schools were also placed under lockdown.
The shooting killed Stuart and left four others injured. The eyewitness accounts provided a firsthand picture of the confusion inside the gym and the fear experienced by people in the surrounding neighborhood.
