The victim shot dead by a well-heeled doctor in a Washington, DC gym was the manager of the shooter’s building — who’s believed to have been feuding with him over black mold in his $1.1 million penthouse, cops said Thursday.
James Stewart, 46, was killed when Dr. Matt Lambert, 55, opened fire inside Vida Fitness on the ground flood of the upscale Logan Circle building Thursday morning, according to Jeffrey Carroll, Interim Chief of Police of the Metropolitan Police Department.
“We do know the victim was the building manager.
There had been an ongoing dispute between the suspect in this case and the building homeowner’s association regarding maintenance issues [and] mold,” Carroll said at a press conference Thursday.
“So we believe it is related to that.”
Carroll said Lambert used a handgun to kill Stewart.
Four other victims — including two men and two women — were injured in the shooting and were rushed to a hospital.
It was unclear if they were involved in the feud with Lambert or if he specifically targeted them, Carroll said.
Lambert shot the four victims with a rifle from the balcony of his 7th-floor home, cops said.
One is in critical condition, while the three others suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Lambert sued the homeowners association of his building over black mold and other problems last year.
“There was some level of planning associated with this,” Carroll said.
Carroll said hostage negotiators spoke with Lambert as he was holed up inside his penthouse after shooting Stewart, and that the doctor-turned-murderer railed about “the HOA and challenges” with it.
