ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WAVY/AP) — A newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland is remembering five of its employees who were killed after a gunman opened fire Thursday afternoon at its office. The suspected gunman is in police custody on murder charges.
The five people killed in the shooting were identified as Wendi Winters, Rebecca Smith, Robert Hiaason, Gerald Fischman John McNamara.
Two other employees of the paper who were injured in the shooting have been treated and released.
Anne Arundel County Police Chief Timothy J. Altomare said in an update Friday morning that upwards of 300 law enforcement officers from numerous police departments and agencies responded to the paper’s office Thursday afternoon.
The suspected gunman was identified as Jarrod W. Ramos. Maryland court documents show Ramos, 38, was charged with five counts of first-degree murder.
Police said Ramos got into the building by shooting through the glass and using smoke grenades. The gun used in the shooting was legally purchased.
Altomare called Thursday’s shooting was a “targeted attack.” Evidence showing the “origination of planning” was found in a search of Ramos’ apartment, Altomare said, who refused to mention Ramos by name.
“I refuse to do it,” Altomare said. “He doesn’t deserve us to talk about him one more second.”
The five victims all worked for the Capital Gazette newspaper. Some were veteran journalists, and one was even a professor, teaching the next generation of reporters. The Capital Gazette published a newspaper Friday morning with articles and posted to social media about the five people killed.
Video (app users): Authorities search apartment of suspected gunman
The Associated Press reports Ramos had a long, acrimonious history with the newspaper, which included years of harassment of its journalists on Twitter. He filed a defamation lawsuit against the paper in 2012 for an article written about him involving a misdemeanor criminal harassment charge.
Ramos was scheduled to appear in court for a bond hearing at 10:30 a.m. Friday in Annapolis.
