Another mass shooting: Gunman targets US newspaper, 5 killed
MEDIA UNDER THREAT? Attack prompts authorities across America to send protection to news organisations
Five people were killed and two were injured when a gunman opened fire at a newspaper office in the US state of Maryland on Thursday.
The shooting occurred at the offices of the Capital Gazette in Annapolis — a suburb of US capital Washington. It came amid months of verbal and online attacks on the “fake news media” from politicians starting from President Donald Trump on down, and prompted law enforcement agencies across the country to provide protection at the headquarters of media organisations.
A man alleged to be the shooter is in police custody. He was identified in media reports as Jarrod Ramos, 39. His motivation for the shooting remains officially undisclosed but he is reported to have nursed grudges against the paper. Authorities described him as a white male who resided in Maryland.
“This was a targeted attack on the Capital Gazette,” said Anne Arundel county deputy police chief William Krampf. “This person was prepared today to come in. He was prepared to shoot people. His intent was to cause harm.”
The Capital Gazette says it is the oldest newspaper in the US and traces its roots to the Maryland Gazette that started publishing in 1727.
The newspaper’s editor Jimmy DeButts tweeted: “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.”
All five killed were employees of the publication — assistant managing editor Robert Hiaason, features writer Wendi Winters, Oped page editor Gerald Fischman, reporter John McNamara, and Rebecca Smith, who worked in marketing.
Phil Davis, a crime reporter with the publication, tweeted as the shooting was unfolding: “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,” he had continued on Twitter.
In an interview to CNN later, Davis and a colleague described in graphic details how they hid and heard and saw the shooter, who was himself found by law enforcement officials hiding under a counter.
Trump tweeted he was briefed on the shooting, adding: “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”.
WASHINGTON: