Residents in Logan Circle write letters to heal after gym shooting

Residents in the Logan Circle neighborhood held candles and wrote letters to one another on the night following a deadly shooting at a local gym. The vigil offered a quiet moment for people to process the violence that had shaken their community earlier in the day.

Mia Cleary organized the gathering. She chose letters as a way for participants to feel a sense of control over the situation. Cleary explained that she wanted to send love to people who were still struggling with the aftermath of the events.

One woman named Traci read from her note. She thanked the people who showed up when it was needed most. Another attendee, Asan, shared his experience of being locked out of his building without a key fob. He noted that neighbors helped each other by sharing fobs and going out of their way to ensure everyone got back inside.

Asan said that people often panic in these situations and just want to be inside. He emphasized that neighbors showed up when it mattered most. Another letter at the vigil thanked a neighbor for taking in a friend during the shooting.

A neighbor who attended the event praised the response time of the D.C. police. The resident stated that they heard shots at 8:00 p.m. and loud sirens by 8:02 p.m. The quick arrival of officers was described as comforting to those in the building.

Court records show that the shooter was Matt Lambert, a 55-year-old doctor. He was involved in a long-running dispute with the management of his penthouse condo. The conflict centered on mold and moisture problems in his seventh-floor unit.

Lambert shot and killed the building manager inside the VIDA Fitness center. He then fled and wounded four more people from the patio of his penthouse condo. D.C. police said he barricaded himself in his home before turning the gun on himself.