Gunman kills five in US newspaper office
Suspect is held after gunman opens fire in Maryland
FIVE people were killed and 20 injured yesterday after a gunman opened fire in a US newspaper office.
The shooter, believed to be a white man in his 20s, blasted staff at the Capital Gazette newsroom in in Annapolis, Maryland.
Crime reporter Phil Davis, who survived the attack, posted on Twitter shortly after it happened: “There is nothing more terrifying than hearing multiple people get shot while you’re under your desk and then hear the gunman reload.”
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan told a 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.”
It’s understood a suspect has been arrested in connection with the attack which happened at around 2.30pm local time.
Anne Arundel County Sheriff Ron Bateman told Fox News there had been “multiple fatalities”.
The shooting was last night being treated as a local incident and not one that involves terrorism, a law enforcement official said.
White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said President Trump had been briefed and said his “thoughts and prayers” were with those affected.
The NYPD said it was beefing up security at New York-based news organisations as a precaution.
Spokesman Andrew Lava said: “We’re deploying units from our Critical Response Command to news outlets throughout New York City. There is no active threat at this time.”