A doctor who fatally shot a building manager and injured four other people in and around a Washington DC condominium building on Thursday confessed to the killings during a phone call, police said, as more details emerged about the gunman's dispute over living conditions.
The gunman, identified by police as 55-year-old Matt Lambert, killed James Stuart, 46, a manager at the condominium complex in the Logan Circle neighborhood, before firing at four people from his balcony and then taking his own life. The shooting occurred not far from the White House.
Shooting timeline and confession
According to police, Lambert fatally shot Stuart inside a gym in his building just before 8am ET, then returned to his apartment and fired at four people from his balcony. Those victims were taken to hospital, and as of Thursday, one was in critical condition. Lambert then barricaded himself inside his unit and was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Charelle Ferguson, another building manager, told the Washington Post that she spoke with Lambert by phone at around 9am that morning, about an hour after the shooting began. Ferguson said she had been calling residents to check on their safety when Lambert answered, and he told her he was tired of mold and water damage in his apartment.
“The only way people will pay attention, you have to do something,” Ferguson said that he told her. She said he then confessed over the phone to shooting the five people.
Legal dispute over living conditions
Court records show that Lambert sued his condo association in 2025, alleging it had failed to address water damage, mold and moisture issues in his apartment, which he alleged began after exterior work was carried out on the building. The association denied allegations of negligence and denied responsibility for the damage in court filings, and the litigation remained ongoing.
Lambert's attorney in the civil matter, Joel Braithwaite, said at a news conference on Thursday that he was “deeply shocked” by what happened and that he had last spoken with his client on Tuesday, when he had sounded fine.
“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,” Braithwaite said.
Community response
On Thursday evening, residents gathered at a vigil in the neighborhood, lighting candles and showing support for those affected by the shooting.
