Five people were killed on Thursday in a shooting at the building that houses the Capital Gazette, a daily newspaper published in Annapolis, a historic city an hour east of Washington, DC.
A reporter for the Capital Gazette, Phil Davis, tweeted that a “gunman shot through the glass door to the office and opened fire on multiple employees.”
“There is nothing more terrifying than hearing multiple people get shot while you’re under your desk and then hear the gunman reload,” Davis added.
Devastated & heartbroken. Numb. Please stop asking for information/interviews. 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 communty.
— Jimmy DeButts 🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@jd3217) June 28, 2018
Local law enforcement authorities confirmed five fatalities in the shooting with several others “gravely injured.” At least three people have been hospitalized, according to the latest update from police.
“We did recover what we thought may have been an explosive device. That has been taken care of,” Deputy Chief William Krampf added in a press conference.
Lieutenant Ryan Frashure described the suspect as a white adult male who used a type of a “long gun,” meaning a rifle or a shotgun.
The gunman was interrogated. He damaged his fingertips to prevent law enforcement from identifying him, according to CBS News. The outlet’s sources said 38-year-old Jarrod Ramos of Laurel, Maryland, was behind the shooting.
Krampf said the individual’s intent was “to cause harm.”
“This was a targeted attack on the Capital Gazette,” he said, noting that the gunman was “prepared to shoot people.”
Jarrod Ramos sued the Capital Gazette for defamation after they reported in 2011 about his conviction for criminal harassment (2011 article pictured) pic.twitter.com/tzMiwB2ME5
— BNO News (@BNONews) June 29, 2018
The newspaper is located in a four-story office building in Annapolis, the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland.
The White House said President Donald J. Trump had been briefed about the situation.
Prior to departing Wisconsin, I was briefed on the shooting at Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland. 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.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 28, 2018
“Absolutely devastated to learn of this tragedy in Annapolis,” Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said. “Please, heed all warnings and stay away from the area. Praying for those at the scene and for our community.”
Police officers have been deployed to the headquarters of major media organizations as a precaution in the aftermath of the shooting.
The LAPD has beefed up security at L.A. news outlets in the wake of the newspaper shooting in Maryland. Deputy Chief Robert Arcos said the department was adding patrols as a precaution and “reassurance,” and said there were no specific threats. https://t.co/06ns2pjVhg
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) June 28, 2018
If you see additional NYPD counterterror teams deployed in New York City tonight, here is why. Full statement below. pic.twitter.com/ViUZ7oJF7m
— J. Peter Donald (@JPeterDonald) June 28, 2018
