The Metropolitan Police Department reported an active shooting in the area of 15th and P Street, Northwest, at about 8:20 a.m. Accounts of when it began differ, with some placing the start just after 8:00 a.m. Police issued a shelter-in-place order for the 1500 block of 15th Street NW, telling residents to stay indoors and away from windows. Some residents were evacuated instead. A police spokesperson said the scene was "still active" and asked the public to avoid the area.

The location is about a mile north of the White House, and the shooting happened during the morning rush hour. Multiple law enforcement agencies responded, and police helicopters flew over the scene. Police and National Guard members cordoned off the surrounding blocks, which include St. Luke's Episcopal Church and a Whole Foods supermarket. District of Columbia Public Schools placed nearby schools on alert status.

City Council member Brooke Pinto said police were at and outside the gym looking for a suspect and that multiple people were involved. Early figures varied on the victims. Police said at least five were shot, while other accounts said at least five were injured. One witness described a death, which would not fit a count of injuries alone.

That witness, James Spellman, was inside the gym with about 50 other people. He said he heard about two shots inside and five or six outside, and that a man who fell was shot in the neck and was "instantly dead." Another witness, who spoke to a reporter without giving a name, said they heard one gunshot and saw one person down on the gym floor, followed by more shots. Michael Carney, a VIDA Fitness member, said he saw a person on the floor who had been shot in the head. It is not clear whether the two descriptions are the same victim.

Carney said the first sound was a "pop." After that, he said, "Everyone was kind of just hiding behind planters and stuff." Police directed people to leave the gym, and some ran from the area with their arms raised. A witness recalled being told to "clear out."

A social media post claimed a nearby building was on fire. That claim has not been independently verified. March for Our Lives, the gun violence prevention group, responded to the shooting by saying that "gun violence doesn't just happen somewhere else."