DC Shooter Identified — It’s Deeply Disturbing

Nearly a year before the November 12, 2026, shooting at a VIDA Fitness gym in Washington, D.C.’s Logan Circle, gunman Matt Lambert referenced Luigi Mangione during an interview about his condominium dispute.

Speaking with then-Washington Post reporter Michael Brice-Saddler in late 2025, Lambert described water leaks and mold in his unit and labeled the building’s responses “psychological warfare.”

He remarked, “What are they called? Delay, deny, defend … the Luigi three?”

The phrase echoed language tied to Mangione, accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, whose ammunition casings bore similar words.

Brice-Saddler later noted Lambert showed no signs of planned violence at the time.

Lambert, a former emergency room physician and healthcare technology executive, had purchased a top-floor unit in the Metropole condominium in 2016 and spent substantial sums on legal and engineering efforts related to facade work he blamed for damage.

He filed a March 2025 lawsuit alleging negligence and nuisance; the association denied the claims.

On October 1, 2026, an account linked to him posted about months of “Luigi” tactics by the HOA before submitting an independent report.

The shooting began shortly before 8 a.m. on November 12 when Lambert fatally shot building manager James Stuart, 46, inside the gym with a handgun.

He fired additional rounds, including from his seventh-floor unit, wounding others, then barricaded himself and spoke about the dispute for about an hour before taking his own life.

Lambert had noted Stuart’s typical gym arrival time in conversation with a neighbor.

He described himself as “radioactive” within the building and increased public messaging via social media and flyers.

The incident left multiple people injured beyond the fatal shooting of Stuart.

Lambert authored books including Unrest Insured and reported the situation affected his sleep, diet, and finances. He claimed to have stripped the unit to expose damage and lived sparsely while pursuing remedies.

Authorities recovered no further details immediately linking the reference to the attack beyond the prior interview.

The event occurred in a high-end residential building near 15th and P Streets NW. Lambert’s background in healthcare informed his framing of the dispute in insurance-like terms.

The reference to Mangione surfaced publicly after the rampage through the earlier reporting. Neighbors and officials described a prolonged standoff before the self-inflicted end.

The case drew attention for the pre-attack citation of the insurance-related phrase associated with another high-profile killing.