One person was killed and four were wounded in a shooting at and outside a fitness center in an upscale residential neighborhood of downtown Washington on Thursday, police said.

Jeffery Carroll, Washington’s interim police chief, told reporters the suspect in the shooting had been found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound after barricading himself in his nearby apartment unit.

Carroll said the man, who was not identified, was apparently in “some sort of a conflict” with the homeowners association of the apartment building, which is located in the Logan Circle area of the nation’s capital, about a mile north of the White House.

The police chief said the person who died had been shot inside a fitness centre and that one of the four wounded was in critical condition, while the injuries to the others did not appear to be life-threatening.

The condition of the gunman was not immediately known.

Earlier, DC Council member Brooke Pinto said in a post on X that the shooting took place “at and outside” a VIDA fitness club and that multiple people had been shot.

One person who described himself as having witnessed the incident told Reuters that he heard gunshots and saw one man run to another man who had apparently been struck by a bullet.

“Blood was pouring immediately, and he said, ‘He’s dead,’” the witness said. “We didn’t know if the gunman was still on the premises, so we just ran frantically.”

He said he heard more gunshots after running away from the gym.

The incident was unfolding in the Logan Circle neighbourhood, about 1.6 kilometres northeast of the White House. Officers with rifles could be seen positioned atop buildings nearby, while dozens of police vehicles shut down the area.

Multiple law enforcement agencies could be seen at the scene of the shooting and police helicopters were hovering over the area.

Some residents were being evacuated from the area by police, while others were being urged to shelter in place. Some gathered on a nearby rooftop to watch the police response.