DC Doctor Dies After Killing Manager Over Mold Dispute
A physician in Logan Circle confessed to shooting five people during a brief phone call, citing unresolved building damage.
By Pedro Tanaka ·
Matt Lambert, a 55-year-old physician, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his Washington D.C. apartment after killing one person and injuring four others in a dispute over building conditions.
The shooting occurred on Thursday morning in the Logan Circle neighborhood. Lambert fatally shot James Stuart, a 46-year-old condominium manager, inside the complex’s gym just before 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time. He then returned to his unit and fired at four people from his balcony. All four survivors were transported to the hospital, with one remaining in critical condition as of Thursday.
On Friday, DC authorities identified a fifth victim. The woman sustained a graze wound that doctors described as non-life-threatening. Lambert barricaded himself in his apartment after the shooting, where police found his body.
Charelle Ferguson, another building manager, spoke with Lambert by phone around 9:00 a.m. on the day of the shooting. She was checking on residents’ safety when he answered. Ferguson said Lambert expressed frustration with mold and water damage in his apartment. He told her, “The only way people will pay attention, you have to do something.” During the call, he confessed to shooting the five individuals.
Ferguson noted that Lambert had previously raised these concerns with her. She described the man she knew as sympathetic to his plight but was shocked by the outcome. “I never thought he’d do something like this,” she said.
Court records show Lambert sued the condo association in 2025. He alleged the association failed to fix water damage, mold, and moisture issues that appeared after exterior work. The association denied negligence in its filings. The case was still pending when the shooting happened. Joel Braithwaite, Lambert’s attorney in the civil suit, expressed surprise at the events. He said he last spoke with his client on Tuesday and that Lambert sounded fine. Braithwaite added, “I can’t tell you how surprised I am because the person I knew as a client is someone who is in the business of healing people.”
Residents gathered in the neighborhood on Thursday evening for a candlelight vigil to support those affected by the shooting.
