A Visitor Caught in the Violence
Susan Hamerski, a visitor from Minnesota, suffered serious and severe wounds while walking her daughter’s dog during a Thursday morning shooting rampage in Logan Circle, a family friend said. According to an account reported by The Washington Post, Hamerski is currently in stable condition following the attack.
The violent sequence left a local condo building manager dead and five people injured before the gunman took his own life. Hamerski was one of five individuals struck by gunfire during the incident, which police say began when 55-year-old Matt Wade Lambert fatally shot 46-year-old James Stuart inside the Vida Fitness gym over frustrations regarding the seventh-story condo.
Recovery and Written Message
While Hamerski is past the life-threatening stage of her injuries, she remains unable to speak, family friend Tina Wilcox told The Washington Post. When her loved ones asked her to jot down what she wished to share, Hamerski wrote, “Gun control is public health.”
Wilcox noted that the family is requesting privacy as Hamerski continues her recovery. Authorities and friends have not yet established a definitive timeline for her return to health.
Broader Impact on the Community
The rampage has sent shock waves through the Logan Circle neighborhood and the Vida Fitness community where Stuart worked. Stuart, known to residents as Jimmy, was remembered as a dedicated building manager who spent 13 years working for EJF Real Estate.
Co-workers described sheltering in a closet for an hour as the attack unfolded. Memorial tributes have since appeared outside the gym, honoring both the victims and the community ties shaken by the tragedy.
Detailed Sequence of the Rampage
According to police accounts from Thursday, the gunman Matt Wade Lambert used a handgun to kill Stuart inside the fitness facility. Following the initial shooting, Lambert returned to his penthouse condo, stepping out onto his balcony with a rifle to target additional victims below.
Authorities confirmed that none of the individuals struck by the subsequent rifle fire resided in the building. Among those injured in the balcony shooting were two construction workers operating on a nearby crew. After firing upon people from his vantage point, Lambert barricaded himself within his residence, eventually setting fire to the unit and firing rounds through the door before ending his own life with one of three firearms he possessed.
Community Grief and Tributes
In the wake of the tragedy, members of the Logan Circle community and gym staff expressed profound shock. Craig Davenport, a trainer who has worked at Vida Fitness for 18 years, shared his grief while visiting the makeshift memorial outside the facility.
Davenport recalled sheltering in a break-room closet with three colleagues for an entire hour while communicating with 911 dispatchers. He emphasized that the gym had always served as a safe haven where people gathered to relieve stress and bring joy to one another, making the violent intrusion entirely unfathomable.
Tributes poured in for James Stuart from residents and professional colleagues alike. Peter Morris, a resident of the Metropole, noted that Stuart was always the person who would have stepped forward to manage such a crisis, adding to the sorrow that he was the one who lost his life. An online fundraiser established to support Stuart’s memorial services highlighted the immense void left by his sudden death, noting that he was deeply ingrained in the daily fabric of the community and the company he served for more than a decade.