Shooting Near the White House Leaves Officials Balancing Conflicting Early Reports

Shooting Near the White House Leaves Officials Balancing Conflicting Early Reports
Police said early Thursday that four people were injured in a shooting in Washington’s Logan Circle neighborhood, about 1.6 kilometers north of the White House. Officers responded to multiple locations, but Police Officer Nathan Clark said details—including the precise scene—were not immediately available.

Authorities urged residents to avoid the block around 15th Street, where a fitness center, church and residential buildings were located, and much of the street was blocked off. The incident unfolded near VIDA Fitness, with witnesses describing a large police response and people fleeing the gym and surrounding buildings.

A separate report later placed the number of injured at five and said the gunman had entered the gym, shot one person in the back and then fled outside. The gym was evacuated, while additional shots were heard on 15th Street. Witness James Spellman told the Associated Press that about 50 people were inside when “one man fell to the ground” and was shot in the neck.

That report also said the suspect barricaded himself in an apartment above the gym after authorities initially believed he was inside the fitness center. Federal agencies, including the Secret Service and National Park Service, assisted local officers, according to the report.

The differing early casualty counts remained unresolved in the available accounts. The shooting occurred roughly a mile from the White House, where Trump was scheduled to hold meetings, but there was no indication that the incident was connected to the president.