5 Killed In Shooting At Newspaper In Annapolis Identified
ANNAPOLIS, Maryland (CBSDFW.COM/CBS NEWS/AP) - Five people died in a shooting in Annapolis, Maryland that police call a "targeted attack."
It happened at the Capital Gazette Building Thursday afternoon.
The suspect in custody was confirmed by CBS News as 38-year-old Jarrod W. Ramos of Laurel, Maryland.
He had no identification on him and had refused to identify himself. The suspect damaged his fingertips so law enforcement can't identify him from finger prints.
Police turned to facial recognition technology, among other means, to identify him and they announced they had.
Smoke bombs and flash bangs were found in this backpack.
Ramos used a shotgun.
Authorities said Ramos specifically targeted the newspaper office, but it's not clear yet why. He had also sent threats to the paper over social media.
The Anne Arundel County Police Department confirmed late in the afternoon there was only one suspect.
A Twitter account matching Ramos name with a location of Laurel, Maryland, includes years of tweets railing against Capital Gazette and includes details of a yearslong legal dispute with the company.
Police released the victims' identities during a late Thursday media briefing. They were all employees at Capital Gazette including four journalists and a sales assistant: Wendi Winters, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith, Gerald Fischman and Robert Hiaasen.
Winters was the special publications editor. McNamara was a writer. Fischman was editorial page editor. Smith was a sales assistant. Hiassen was an assistant editor and columnist.
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Two other people suffered "superficial injuries" from things broken glass.
Police set up a reunification process where families of loved ones who were in the building, can meet up at a nearby mall.
An aerial view shows a massive police presence and people being led out of a building with their hands raised.
Phil Davis, a Gazette courts/crime reporter, tweeted he was in the building when the shooting happened.
Davis said the gunman "shot through the glass door to the office and opened fire on multiple employees."
The Capital Gazette is a local newspaper owned by The Baltimore Sun.
An intern was one of the first to tweet about the shooting from inside the building.
Medevac helicopters could be seen responding to the scene.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was responding to reports of the shooting.
White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters says President Trump has been briefed on the shooting and "our thoughts and prayers are with all that are affected."
President Trump tweeted a similar statement a short time later.
Gov. Larry Hogan, on Twitter, wrote, "Absolutely devastated to learn of this tragedy in Annapolis."
He said he was in contact with County Executive Steve Schuh, and that Maryland State Police were on the scene assisting county police.
"Please, heed all warnings and stay away from the area. Praying for those at the scene and for our community," he wrote.
U.S. Sen. from Maryland Chris Van Hollen wrote on Twitter, "My heart is with the families, friends, and loved ones of the victims as we learn more about this terrible situation. We must unite to end the violence."
Police were also at The Baltimore Sun newsroom in Baltimore. Police said there was no threat on the Sun, and that their presence was a precaution.
The New York Police Department and Chicago Police Departments sent patrols to major news media organizations in response to the shooting at a newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland.
NYPD Sgt. Brendan Ryan refused to elaborate for security reasons, but said officers have been deployed in and around the city at various media outlets out of an abundance of caution.
A GoFundMe account set up for the Maryland newspaper has raised more than $20,000 within just three hours.
The account was set up by a fellow journalist, Bloomberg Government reporter Madi Alexander. By 8:00 p.m., the total amount in donations had reached more than half the $30,000 goal.
The GoFundMe page posting urged people to give what they can to help the newspaper's journalists pay for medical bills, funeral costs, newsroom repairs and other expenses.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
