A gunman who shot up a gym in Washington DC Thursday morning before taking his own life has been identified as a West Virginia native.
Dr. Matt Lambert was a native of Parkersburg according to acquaintances. Washington D.C. police said Lambert walked into the ground floor gym of his upscale D.C. apartment building Thursday morning and opened fire. At least one person was killed.
Lambert retreated into the apartment building and barricaded himself inside his unit. Hostage negotiators tried to reason with him for about an hour before he took his own life.
Police are investigating if there may have been a conflict between Lambert and the homeowners association of the apartment. There appeared to be a dispute over work done to his apartment which was overseen by the HOA. The New York Post reported Lambert filed a lawsuit in 2025 claiming his apartment had no significant damage from water intrusion. The suit claimed after the HOA sanctioned work the building his apartment “..experienced suspected water intrusion, mold, significant moisture accumulation, or related damage.”
Lambert on social media blamed the mold and dampness on the building being shrouded by scaffolding and drapes.
Lambert described himself as a “board certified emergency physician with over two decades of clinical experience” in a post to his personal website. He also claimed he split his time between his D.C. neighborhood and “the mountains of West Virginia.”
Those who knew him growing up in Parkersburg tell MetroNews he played football for the Big Reds and graduated in 1989. He attended Marshall University and was admitted into the Marshall School of Medicine after his sophomore year in college.
The incident Thursday morning in Washington left the one victim plus Lambert dead and four wounded.