Dr. Matt Lambert, the physician accused of killing a building manager at an upscale Washington, D.C., condominium, had spent months chronicling his disputes with the property’s management online.
Lambert, 55, began posting about conditions at the Metropole, in the city’s Logan Circle neighborhood, in October 2025 while pursuing a lawsuit against the property management company.
His X account, titled “Of Mice and Mold,” described itself as a source of “info on the Metropole and EJF,” referring to the Metropole Condominium Association and its contractor, EJF Real Estate Services.
Early posts focused on Lambert’s attempts to persuade contractors to address mold and water damage in his penthouse. He also invited neighbors to visit his unit during the holidays.
As spring approached, however, the tone of his posts darkened. Lambert began documenting the repairs he said he was forced to undertake himself.
In a troubling post on April 28, he responded to another resident who complained that the building’s hot water was not working.
“If you’re looking for the building manager, I would check the gym,” he wrote.
That gym became the scene of Thursday morning’s violence. At about 8 a.m., Lambert allegedly shot James Stuart, 46, in the back during a rampage that left four other people injured.
Dr. Matt Lambert, 55, allegedly shot his building manager at a luxury Washington, D.C., condominium on Thursday amid a long-running dispute over mold in his unit
James Stuart, 46, was shot in the back inside Vida Fitness in Logan Circle at about 8 a.m. Images Via: James Stuart/Facebook
Lambert operated the X account “Of Mice and Mold,” which said it offered “info on the Metropole and EJF,” including the condominium association and EJF Real Estate Services
One day before the shooting, Lambert claimed on social media that the dispute had left him without a shower, dryer, heating and air conditioning, or a functioning kitchen for six months.
His final post, published at 8:06 a.m. while he was believed to be inside his apartment, stated: “My manifesto is an engineering report.”
After the shooting began, Lambert continued to complain about the building’s management. Charelle Ferguson, a manager who did not yet know he was the gunman, called to ask whether he was safe.
Lambert told her he was exhausted by the mold and water damage, which he said had made the apartment uninhabitable.
“The only way people will pay attention, you have to do something,” Ferguson recalled him saying.
Lambert then told her he had shot five people, including Stuart, one of her colleagues, Ferguson said.
“I couldn’t believe what I was hearing,” she said. “I tried to calm myself down, get as much information from him as possible, and keep him on the phone.”
The condominium complex where Lambert allegedly opened fire
The interior of Lambert’s apartment is shown in November 2024, when he vacated the unit and workers removed walls and floors to investigate water damage and mold. Source: OfMiceandMold/X
A November 2024 image posted by Lambert shows walls being removed from his apartment, one day before the shooting. Source: OfMiceandMold/X
Lambert had barricaded himself inside his penthouse at 1515 15th Street, directly above the gym.
From inside the apartment, he activated the sprinkler system, started a fire, and spoke by phone with a neighbor, another property manager, and police negotiators about his conflict with the building.
He also fired from his balcony at people on the street, wounding four bystanders, before eventually taking his own life.
Police said at least one injured person remained in critical condition, while three others suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.
Officers eventually forced their way into the building. Authorities said Lambert fired twice at police through the apartment door.
Negotiators spent roughly an hour speaking with him through the door before hearing a gunshot.
When officers entered, they found Lambert suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Investigators also recovered three weapons—a pistol, a shotgun, and a rifle—none of which was registered to Lambert.
U.S. Marshals respond to the shooting in Washington, D.C.’s Logan Circle neighborhood
Local and federal law enforcement officers respond to the scene Thursday
Police outside the Vida Fitness gym, where Stuart was killed
At a subsequent news conference, officials confirmed that Lambert had been involved in a dispute with the condominium’s homeowners association.
“We do know there was a conflict between him and the homeowners association of that building, but at this point we’re continuing to look into that,” Metropolitan Police Chief Jeffery Carroll said.
Thursday’s shooting occurred more than two years and one day after Lambert left his unit so contractors could remove sections of its walls and floors.
The reason he allegedly opened fire while his lawsuit was still pending remained unclear, even to his attorney, Joel Braithwaite.
Braithwaite said Lambert had appeared to be “in a good place” when they spoke roughly a day before the shooting. He also said the case had gone well during a deposition the previous week.
In a lawsuit filed in March 2025, Lambert alleged that “suspected water intrusion, mold, significant moisture accumulation, and/or related damage” resulted directly from facade work the Metropole began in March 2023.
He maintained that his apartment had not previously experienced “significant water intrusion, mold, moldy smells, moisture accumulation, or related damage.”
Metropole and EJF Real Estate Services denied responsibility, arguing that third parties beyond their control caused the damage and that Lambert should have taken additional steps to prevent it.
Bullet holes remain visible in the condominium building after the shooting
National Guard members were seen on a balcony of a nearby building opposite the location where the gunman barricaded himself
Police cordon off the area around the condominium in Washington, D.C.’s Logan Circle neighborhood after the rampage
As a condominium owner, Lambert paid $15,357 toward the facade project, according to his lawsuit. He said he first noticed damage in March 2024.
He reported the first instance of “water intrusion” after Metropole had actively asked residents to report problems connected to the construction.
Metropole did not cut into Lambert’s drywall to determine whether water was leaking behind it until August 2024.
By the following month, an electric blind beneath the opening had stopped working, and foul-smelling mold had begun growing in the area.
Lambert’s lawsuit alleged that Metropole denied mold was present and attempted to seal the opening rather than address his complaints.
He said two independent assessments later “confirmed that substantial moisture continues to accumulate in key areas of the unit, including the cement ceiling, soffit, baseboards, windowsills, and exterior walls.”
Lambert formally asked Metropole to repair the damage in accordance with the assessors’ recommendations and reimburse him for the associated costs.
According to the lawsuit, the company failed to fulfill those requests despite receiving extensive photographic evidence.
“[Metropole’s] work caused a moisture-saturated ceiling, mold-covered external walls, and moisture-saturated floorboards under the windows, corrosion of metal surfaces under the drywall,” the lawsuit alleged.
Lambert posted this image of water damage elsewhere in the apartment building on social media
Black mold that Lambert said accumulated inside his apartment
On October 21, 2024, Metropole wrote to Lambert promising to work with him to resolve the problems. He claimed that the promised action never followed.
By November 11, Lambert said he had lost patience and hired a contractor to remove the “moisture-saturated” walls and deteriorating floors.
He said the work revealed additional black mold and leaking pipes that were worsening the damage.
The lawsuit alleged that Metropole repeatedly promised repairs but had not delivered them by the time the complaint was filed.
“[Lambert’s] unit remains deconstructed, torn down to the metal frame which bears signs of the water intrusion and elevated moisture in the unit,” it stated.
Lambert moved out when the demolition began and said he could not return because rebuilding the apartment before the underlying problems were fixed would lead to further mold growth.
EJF Real Estate Services President Scott Burka remembered Stuart, pictured, as a “respected and beloved member of our team”
Flowers form a memorial near the site where Stuart was killed
The legal dispute continued for roughly a year and a half. During that time, Lambert documented what he described as problems throughout the building, as well as what he considered to be slow progress on the facade project.
His posts showed mold, corroded metal, cockroaches and other pests, water entering the walls, and notices from management about interruptions to various utilities.
He also accused the building of discriminating against him, saying repairs were being made in other units with similar problems while his apartment remained untouched.
On October 1, he posted an update about the lawsuit.
“After months of ‘Luigi’ tactics (delay, deny, defend) by the HOA, we were finally able to submit an independent engineering report into the record,” he wrote, invoking the murder case involving Luigi Mangione.
“The report addresses 704, the facade rehabilitation more broadly, and lists other units affected. When the time is right, I will share the report on X, with other Metropole owners, and with Logan Circle realtors.”
As investigators examine what led the doctor to allegedly open fire, EJF Real Estate Services said it was “devastated” by Stuart’s death and condemned the shooting as a “senseless act of violence.”
“Jimmy was more than a colleague; he was a part of the fabric of this company,” President Scott Burka said. Stuart joined the firm 13 years ago as a property manager.
“He was a respected and beloved member of our team,” Burka added. “Our hearts are with his family and everyone who loved him. We will honor Jimmy by caring for one another, friends and family.”
Burka said the company was cooperating with authorities as the investigation continued.