Hours after a gunman targeted the newsroom of the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland, killing five people, its editors made true on their vow to publish the Friday issue of the newspaper. In the aftermath of the shooting, the Gazette’s reporters were back out covering the tragedy that had been inflicted on their own colleagues. By late on Thursday evening, the newspaper posted its front page on social media as it went to press – “5 shot dead at The Capital” and “Laurel man, the suspected gunman, in custody”, read the headline and subhead. As evidence grew that the gun rampage had been committed by an individual who specifically targeted the newspaper and its editing team, the response of the surviving journalists on the title was one of resolute defiance. Within a couple of hours of the shooting, the Capital Gazette reporter Chase Cook, who normally covers the Maryland general assembly, was filing social media reports from the scene. “I can tell you this: WE are putting out a damn paper tomorrow,” he said in a tweet. The five victims have been identified and the Gazette published stories on each of their “bright, wonderful lives”. They were named as Rob Hiaasen, assistant news editor; Gerald Fischman, editorial page editor; Wendi Winters, special publications editor; Rebecca Smith, sales assistant; and John McNamara, staff writer. “The loss is unimaginable,” said Joshua McKerrow, a photojournalist at the newspaper. The paper’s community news editor, Jimmy DeButts, also struck a note of resistance against the shooter’s violent hatred. “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 community,” he said. Another Capital Gazette reporter, Pat Furgurson, reported from the evening press briefing on the tragedy at his own workplace. Furgurson briefly talked to his fellow reporters after the briefing ended. Visibly shaken, he said the victims were “just trying to do their job for the public. Something like this might happen in Afghanistan or Iraq or something like that but you don’t expect it in a sleepy office across the street from a local mall.” However, he said “we’re still putting out a newspaper” and that the Capital Gazette would be out on Friday. 01:24 What we know about the Capital Gazette shooting – video report As the evening progressed, details emerged of how the newspaper had been deliberately targeted. Journalists who survived the gun rampage gave first-hand accounts of how the shooter had entered the newsroom and apparently sought out editors of the paper as his victims. Phil Davis, a crime reporter for the Capital Gazette, told CNN he noticed the path the gunman took. “I know that two of the editors he went after were in the same position as other reporters who were at their desks,” he said. The suspect has not been named by police, but several news outlets have identified him as Jarrod Ramos, a 38-year-old man who had previously sued the newspaper for defamation in 2012. He was taken into custody and police were investigating his home. They said they would provide an update later on Friday. In an echo of the anger that quickly exploded from the student survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school shooting in February, Capital Gazette journalists expressed disgust at the lack of action coming from Washington over the latest gun outrage. The staff writer Selene San Felice responded to news that Donald Trump had extended “thoughts and prayers” to the victims. She told CNN: “I’m not trying to make this political, but we need more than prayers. I want your prayers, but I want something else.” Felice added: “This is going to be a story for how many days – less than a week? People will forget about us in less than a week. I’m going to need more than a couple of days of news coverage and thoughts and prayers – our whole lives have been shattered.” The Baltimore Sun, sister newspaper of the Capital Gazette, ran an editorial highlighting the hostile atmosphere towards journalism in the US: “That’s why so many reporters across the nation got a sickening feeling Thursday afternoon – they couldn’t believe something like this had happened, except that they could.” A fundraiser to help the Capital Gazette newsroom and staff hit $50,000 in eight hours. Started by Bloomberg reporter Madi Alexander, the money will go towards medical bills, funeral costs and repairs.<doc-sep>The staff of the Capital Gazette vowed, hours after a shooting in their newsroom, that they would be “putting out a damn paper tomorrow” — and put out a paper they did. The Maryland newspaper released a morning edition of its paper just a day after a shooter broke into the Annapolis newsroom, killing four journalists and one other staff member, and injuring two other people. The staff worked from a parking lot in a garage adjacent to the building to ensure that the paper was released on time. The Capital Gazette published tributes to Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith, and Wendi Winters, the five slain staffers, with reporters at the Baltimore Sun helping to honor the victims. They wrote about Hiaasen’s generosity and mentorship, Fischman’s “clever and quirky voice,” McNamara’s finding his “dream job,” Winters’s “prolific” career and Smith’s kindness and consideration for the world. The publication also left its editorial page mostly blank, aside from a small bit of text beginning “Today, we are speechless.” Tomorrow this Capital page will return to its steady purpose of offering readers informed opinion about the world around them. But today, we are speechless. pic.twitter.com/5HzKN2IW7Q — Capital Gazette (@capgaznews) June 29, 2018 “This page is intentionally left blank today to commemorate victims of Thursday’s shooting at our office,” the Capital Gazette continued, in lieu of a opinion piece. “Tomorrow this page will return to its steady purpose of offering our readers informed opinion about the world around them, that they might be better citizens.” Other newspapers around the country also paid tribute to the the Capital Gazette. The Miami Herald, where Rob Hiaasen’s brother Carl is a columnist, spoke about the differences between other mass shootings and this one, targeted at journalists. “The nation has seen this before and, infuriatingly, will again,” the Miami Herald wrote. “And again we will ask, How did the shooter get the gun? Was he mentally ill? What, exactly, was his motive? We all know the drill.” The Herald continued, “But here’s what’s different. Hatred for the media, the most responsible of which tell uncomfortable truths, and question authority. But journalists are excoriated as enemies of the people — to use President Trump’s hateful words.”<doc-sep>According to Jay Riley, director of marketing for St. John Properties, the office building is "pretty well occupied" and vacancy is very low. ANNAPOLIS, MD -- The Capital Gazette building where Thursday's shooting occurred was described as a "typical office" that doesn't have a front desk, according to St. John Properties. According to the Capital Gazette's website, the newspaper began publishing in 1727 in the Maryland Gazette and its publisher, Capital Gazette Communications LLC, is one of the oldest publishers in the country. The office building, located at 888 Bestgate Road in Annapolis, Md., is surrounded by hotels, restaurants, banks and postal services. The building sits across the street from the Annapolis Mall, where officials set up a reunification center for families, and is just minutes away from Anne Arundel Medical Center. Colleagues of the Capital Gazette described the newsroom as wide open with less than two dozen people working on a normal day. The newsroom has two-three side offices with a kitchen and reception area. A lot of the staff and reporters were out of the building, working on their assignments. PHOTOS: Massive police response to fatal shooting at Capital Gazette 1/24 2/24 3/24 4/24 5/24 6/24 7/24 8/24 9/24 10/24 11/24 12/24 13/24 14/24 15/24 16/24 17/24 18/24 19/24 20/24 21/24 22/24 23/24 24/24 1 / 24 According to Jay Riley, director of marketing for St. John Properties, the office building is "pretty well occupied" and vacancy is very low. The Capital Gazette has been located on Bestgate Road since 2014. The office building is located at the intersection of Commerce Park Drive and Bestgate Road with easy access to downtown Annapolis, I-97 and US Rt. 50.<doc-sep>Today’s Headlines The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy<doc-sep>
As reports emerged of a shooting in the Capital Gazette's newsroom in Annapolis, Maryland, the Fox News correspondent Trace Gallagher told his viewers that the newspaper didn't have an ideological bent. "Fox News's Trace Gallagher says they checked into Capital Gazette's ideological bent and concluded that it was very much a local newspaper," the Washington Post columnist Erik Wemple tweeted. Many on social media jumped on the comments, accusing Fox of insinuating that the paper may have "deserved" the attack had it been political. As reports emerged on Thursday of a shooting at the Capital Gazette's newsroom in Annapolis, Maryland, the Fox News correspondent Trace Gallagher told his viewers that the network had investigated whether the newspaper had an ideological bent and determined that it was simply a local paper. "The editorial board doesn't seem to have any severe ideological bent, so you kind of look toward what's the M.O., what's the motive behind something like this, and there's nothing that jumps out at you that says, 'Well, it could possibly be this,'" Gallagher said. During an interview on Fox, Sen. Ben Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, agreed that the Capital Gazette — a historic community paper — is not known for having a political orientation, and likely wasn't targeted for any ideological reason. But Gallagher's comment generated swift criticism online. "Fox was trying to determine if they 'deserved' it or not," one person wrote. "America 2018." Referring to President Donald Trump's characterization of the news media as the "enemy of the American people," another Twitter user replied: "So, enemy of the people or no?" "Good Lord," the CNN anchor Jake Tapper tweeted. Law-enforcement officials have said five people were killed and several others were "gravely injured" in the shooting. Authorities have not released information about a possible motive. Authorities also said that a "long gun" was used in the shooting and that no gunfire was exchanged between the gunman and officers. One suspect is in custody and being interviewed by police, said Lt. Ryan Frashure of the Anne Arundel County Police Department. One of the newspaper's reporters, Phil Davis, tweeted: "Gunman shot through the glass door to the office and opened fire on multiple employees. Can't say much more and don't want to declare anyone dead, but it's bad." He added that he was safe and was waiting to be interviewed by police. Michelle Mark contributed to this report.