Washington police said at least five people were shot on a busy thoroughfare in the centre of Washington, DC, on Thursday near Logan Circle at the intersection of 15th Street NW and P Street at 8:23am local time (13:28 GMT), triggering school lockdowns and a shelter-in-place order as a suspected gunman barricaded himself inside a building about a mile from the White House during the rush-hour commute. Local and federal law enforcement, including the FBI and the Secret Service, cordoned off the area and were working to apprehend the suspect, described by police as a white male wearing a grey shirt; one person was killed according to witnesses, while the condition of other victims was not immediately available.
Key Takeaways: At least five people were shot in central Washington, DC, on Thursday morning; witnesses said one person was killed, while police did not immediately provide a full casualty update. The suspect, described by police as a white male in a grey shirt, barricaded himself inside a building as the FBI and Secret Service joined the response near Logan Circle. Schools were locked down and residents were told to shelter in place.
The attack lands amid a politically charged security buildup by the US regime led by Donald Trump, which has made crime in the capital a key issue in his second term. The Trump regime deployed National Guard troops across the city after a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) official claimed he was assaulted in the early morning of August 2025, and Trump declared a crime emergency that reportedly included federalising control of the district’s local police force. Several thousand National Guard troops have remained in the district; Trump regularly claims their presence has brought down crime, while district officials say the Guard has not been used in local law enforcement.
Witness James Spellman told the Associated Press he was at the gym when he heard shots fired and that about 50 people were inside at the time. 'Within seconds there was a man who fell to the ground, and a pool of blood came out,' he said. 'One gym member rushed to help him. He was instantly dead. He had been shot in the neck.' Spellman said he and other gym members ran out and he heard more gunfire near 15th Street, including about two shots inside the gym and five or six outside; police described the suspect as a white male in a grey shirt, and the condition of the victims was not immediately available.
The White House of the US regime did not immediately respond to Thursday’s attack. In November of last year, a National Guard member was killed by a gunman while on duty near 17th and I Streets NW, and a second National Guard member was wounded; in October, another National Guard member was shot during a gunfight in southeast Washington, DC. Police are continuing the manhunt and investigation, with expected updates likely to clarify the number and condition of victims and the suspect’s motives.
Source: www.aljazeera.com