Maryland Shooting: 5 Dead, Hundreds Gather to Pay Tribute
Capital Gazette has vowed to put out an edition, despite the horrific attack.
advertisement
Several People Reported Dead in Capital Gazette Newsroom
Several people were reported killed on 28 June at a shooting at the offices of the Capital Gazette, a daily newspaper published in Annapolis, the capital of the US state of Maryland.
The local ABC7 news reported "multiple fatalities" quoting police in the historic city located an hour east of Washington.
"ATF Baltimore is responding to a shooting incident at the Capital Gazette in Annapolis," the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, and Tobacco said on Twitter.
County Sheriff Ron Bateman told Fox News a suspect had been taken into custody.
Staff Tweets From Inside the Newsroom
Crime reporter of Capital Gazette, Paul Davis, tweeted from inside the newsroom, “Gunman shot through the glass door to the office and opened fire on multiple employees. Can't say much more and don't want to declare anyone dead, but it's bad.”
Davis said in an interview with the Baltimore Sun, which owns the Gazette, that he and others were still hiding under their desks when the shooter stopped firing.
"I don't know why. I don't know why he stopped," he said. "But as much as I'm going to try to articulate how traumatising it is to be hiding under your desk, you don't know until you're there and you feel helpless."
Davis later said he was safe and being interviewed by police. The daily newspaper and sister publications has an editorial staff of around 45 supported by a sales and advertising team of about 10 staff, according to the company's website.
One Shooter in Custody: City Spokeswoman
City spokeswoman told The Associated Press that one shooter has been taken into custody at building housing Maryland newspaper.
There are Several Injuries: Police
Speaking to reporters outside the building housing Capital Gazette, police confirmed that there were injuries but did not say how many people have died in the attack.
Reason For Shooting Unknown: Officials
A law enforcement official said the Annapolis shooting is being treated as a local incident and not one that involves terrorism for now, reported Reuters. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is on the scene assisting local authorities, the official said.
"The shooter is in custody and is being interrogated at this time," Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh told a news conference.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said at the news conference: "It's a tragic situation. We don't have all the information yet, and we can't give all the information yet, but we have had several fatalities."
5 Killed, Several Injured: Police
Police confirmed that at least five people have been killed, several others 'gravely injured' in shooting at the office of the Capital Gazette newspaper in Maryland.
Images showed people leaving the building, walking through a parking lot with their hands in the air.
NYPD Beefs up Security at Major News Organisations
The New York Police Department said it was beefing up security at New York-based news organisations as a precaution, reported Reuters.
"We're deploying units from our Critical Response Command to news outlets throughout New York City," said Officer Andrew Lava, an NYPD spokesman.
Thank You to All of the First Responders: Trump
President Donald Trump has been briefed on the shooting, reported Reuters quoting White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters.
"My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. Thank you to all of the First Responders who are currently on the scene," Trump said in a tweet.
Suspect a White Male Who Used a Long Gun: Police
The suspect was arrested soon after the attack at the Capital Gazette's office, without exchanging gunfire with police. Police said they did not know his motive but believe the suspect, a white male adult who used a long gun, acted alone.
Police recovered something they thought might have been an explosive device. About 170 people were evacuated from the building, which has been secure, police said.
'Devastated & Heartbroken': Editor of Capital Gazette
Jimmy DeButts, an editor at the Capital Gazette, tweeted that he was devastated, heartbroken and numb.
"I'm in no position to speak, just know @capgaznews reporters & editors give all they have every day. There are no 40 hour weeks, no big paydays - just a passion for telling stories from our community," he wrote.
It Was a Targeted Attack: Police
"His intent was to cause harm," William Krampf, Anne Arundel County's acting police chief, told a news conference. "This was a targeted attack on the Capital Gazette." He did not say why the gunman may have targeted the newspaper or its employees.
Suspect Identified
Suspect in Maryland newsroom shooting identified as Jarrod Ramos of Laurel, Maryland, Reuters reported.
Ramos reportedly had a long-running feud with the newspaper.
Suspect Battled Newspaper in Court And Lost
Jarrod Ramos, a resident of Laurel, Maryland, had sued the newspaper and one of its journalists in 2012, alleging defamation.
Almost a year earlier, Thomas Hartley, a former columnist for The Capital, one of the group's papers, wrote a column describing the suspect's interactions with an unnamed woman Ramos contacted over Facebook, court documents showed. Hartley said Ramos sent her numerous emails in which he called her vulgar names and told her to kill herself.
The lawsuit named Hartley, its then editor-publisher Thomas Marquardt, and Capital-Gazette Communications, then the parent company of the paper.
Ramos had pled guilty to criminal harassment five days before Hartley published his column, records showed. He claimed in court documents that his perspective was not fairly represented. His lawsuit was dismissed in 2013, and an appellate court upheld the dismissal in 2015.
(Source: Reuters)
Police Release Names of Deceased
The Maryland police has reportedly released the names of the five persons who were killed in the shooting. According to local media reports, the deceased have been identified as Wendi Winters, John McNamara, Gerald Fischman, Rebecca Smith, and Rob Hiaasen.
White House Condemns Shooting
The White House, in a statement, condemned the shooting at the newspaper office, terming it ‘senseless’. Press Secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted:
US First Lady Melania Trump also tweeted about the attack:
We Are Putting Out a Damn Paper Tomorrow: Capital Gazette
Hours after the attack, journalists at Capital Gazette said that they would publish an edition as scheduled.
Reporters and interns in the newsroom tweeted throughout the ordeal, describing the shooting as it unfolded.
Hundreds Gather to Pay Tribute to Killed Journalists
Hundreds of people gathered on Friday evening to remember the five people gunned down at a community newspaper office in Annapolis, Maryland, one of the deadliest attacks on journalists in U.S. history.
The vigil came hours after accused gunman Jarrod Ramos was denied bail during a brief hearing in Anne Arundel County criminal court. Ramos, 38, appeared by video link from jail and did not speak during the proceedings.
More than 300 mourners, many of them carrying candles, walked slowly through the streets of Annapolis, the state capital, near the capitol dome, which was lit up, its flags flown at half staff in honor of the shooting victims.
All five of those slain worked at the Capital Gazette newspaper. Ramos is accused of opening fire on Thursday over a longstanding grudge against the paper.
At least five people were killed in Annapolis, Maryland after a man, identified as Jarrod Ramos, stormed into the office of the Capital Gazette newspaper and opened fire.
- The attack has been labelled one of the deadliest attacks recorded on a US media outlet
- The accused, a resident of Laurel, Maryland, reportedly had sued the newspaper and one of its journalists in 2012, alleging defamation
- Security was beefed up at New York-based news organisations as a precaution
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)