A gunman who allegedly shot five people, killing one, was apprehended by police in the heart of Washington DC on Thursday morning. The incident occurred on a busy thoroughfare near Logan Circle, specifically at the intersection of 15th Street NW and P Street, at 8:23 am local time.
Interim Police Chief Jeffrey Carrol stated that the suspect, identified as a white male, barricaded himself inside a nearby apartment building after the initial shooting. According to Carrol, officers were negotiating with the suspect via telephone when they heard additional gunshots. Upon entering the room, police found that the man had shot himself.
Witnesses provided details of the chaotic scene. James Spellman, who was inside a gym at the location when the shots were fired, told The Associated Press that approximately 50 people were present. He described seeing a man fall to the ground with a pool of blood, noting that another gym member rushed to assist him. Spellman said the victim was instantly dead and had been shot in the neck. He estimated that two shots were fired inside the gym, while five or six were heard outside on 15th Street.
Local and federal law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Secret Service, cordoned off the area to secure the scene and apprehend the suspect. Al Jazeera correspondent John Holman reported from the scene that authorities worked swiftly to contain the situation. Schools in the vicinity were placed on lockdown, and police issued a shelter-in-place order for the public, instructing residents to stay indoors and away from windows until further notice.
The attack took place during the morning rush hour, approximately 1.6 kilometers from the White House. The incident has drawn attention to the administration of US President Donald Trump, which has made crime in the capital a central issue during his second term. This focus has included the deployment of the US National Guard across the city, a decision made after a former Department of Government Efficiency official was assaulted in August 2025.
The President declared a crime emergency, which involved federalizing control of the district’s local police force. Several thousand National Guard troops have remained in Washington DC, with Trump regularly claiming their presence has reduced crime. However, local officials have noted that the Guard has not been directly used in local law enforcement operations, and their presence has occasionally caused friction with local leaders, including Mayor Muriel Bowser.
At a press conference following the shooting, Mayor Bowser praised the quick response of the local police force. She dismissed the idea that law enforcement treated the incident with unusual importance, stating that an active shooter scenario is not typical for the city. Bowser said, “I praise [DC police] for bringing down crime in this city, and I praise our prosecutors. It’s not typical to have a active shooter that guns down people in the city, so all our law enforcement responded.”
The White House did not immediately comment on the Thursday attack. The shooting follows a series of incidents involving National Guard personnel in the district. In November of last year, a Guard member was killed and another wounded by a gunman near 17th and I Streets NW. In October, a different Guard member was shot during a gunfight in southeast Washington DC.
The incident highlights the continued tension between federal and local authorities in managing public safety in the capital. As investigations continue, the focus remains on the victims and the broader implications for security strategy in the city.
