gunman

Police have identified the 46-year-old man who was killed after a gunman opened fire in Washington DC.

James Stewart was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting, while four others who were injured were rushed to local hospitals for treatment. One of the injured is in a critical condition, police said.

The shooting began on Thursday morning local time inside a gym in an apartment building in the Logan Circle neighbourhood, which is about a mile (1.6km) north of the White House.

Police said the suspect, identified as 55-year-old Matt Wade Lambert, barricaded himself in one of the apartments, and later died of self-inflicted gunshot wound.

While the suspect was barricaded, “he did fire through the door at officers at least on two occasions”, Carroll said.

Negotiators had been on the phone with the suspect when they heard a gunshot and he stopped communicating with them, according to Carroll.

Officers forced their way into the apartment and saw the suspect had what appeared to be a “self-inflicted gunshot wound”, he said.

Carroll added that police “believe there was a fire that was set”, which has been contained.

Authorities are still working to understand the exact timeline, suspect’s motivation, and other details of the incident.

“We believe there was some sort of a conflict with the apartment building, but we don’t have much more than that,” Carroll said.

Authorities recovered three firearms from Lambert’s apartment. He was a registered gun owner, police said.

Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser called it a “senseless act of gun violence” and said the White House had been briefed.